From 12 to 14 April 2021, the YEBO! Project hosted its final conference organised collaboratively by all consortium partners and hosted online by the University of Pretoria and the University of Uppsala. The conference themed "Internationalisation of the PhD: from possibilities of today to challenges of the future" included a set of great activities with a specific emphasis on core aspects of the Doctoral Studies: modernisation and supervision.

The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) is among the seven partner universities in South Africa and (8) European Higher Education Institutions co-coordinating the YEBO project along with the University of Montpellier, and supervised the development of the YEBO PhD Portal and the Open4YEBO! funding tool.

Speaking at the conference, Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement illustrated the developments of the project, with emphasis on the lesson learnt, the impact, challenges, and the way forward of the Yebo! Project.

He said that the project has provided an opportunity for international collaborations, which is supported by resources and there is a revised workload model to allow quality supervision. "The project has enhanced the administration of the PhD life cycle, implemented a professional development programme for PhD candidates and supervisors, enhanced the supervisor capability through assistance from international partners, and also, enhanced infrastructure and governance systems with international partners."

Looking at the national imperative in South Africa through the national development plan of 2030, Prof. Ngowi further said that as one of the objectives, South Africa has been established as a hub for research capable of attracting a significant share of the international student population and researchers.

He also mentioned that some of the challenges faced was realising that obtaining a doctorate degree is not a priority for SA students and that PhD programmes are not appealing to students. "There is a lack of awareness of the international dimensions of PhD studies and of mobility during their PhD program to further enhance internationalisation. There is also a lack of structure and support for PhD students at home universities and a lack of knowledge to improve universities capacities to structure their internationalisation of PhD strategies. Students are often unaware of the opportunities available to them, and supervisors are not always equipped to promote their programmes effectively".

When highlighting the opportunities created through the Yebo! Project, he said that through the PhD portal developed and accessible to all members, there is a mapping tool that shows all collaborating institutions, institutional profiles, and their PhD opportunities. "A funding tool that provides PhD funding opportunities has been put on the portal. European University Association and SA University resources are being placed to enhance PhD eco-system and we have arranged five conferences and four training sessions," he concluded.

In his keynote address, Senior Director: Research and Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Laetus Lategan, spoke about the brave new world, local doctoral researchers, global scholars, and pointers to use.

He said that the lesson learned during the COVID-19 era is that people, economy, environment and technology are extremely important. "The COVID-19 pandemic made us discover the extreme challenges regarding safety and security."

He also mentioned that no one can claim that they are researchers or scholars without understanding their context and without moving into a global space. "Somehow, the global and the local should come together to form this new space in which we are working and this is not the space where we are excluding, it is a space where we are integrating."

He emphasised the importance of quadruple helix networks (industry, government, academia and society), which he said will enhance knowledge transfer and product and service development that will ultimately shape the future of regional development, the country and the world.