South African Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Visits UZH
Minister Blade Nzimande, South Africa's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, visited the University of Zurich on 31 October to exchange with UZH's Blockchain Center on the strong ongoing collaborations in research and student exchange programs. The visit aimed to find ways to deepen the engagement between UZH and South African universities.
The visit took place during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's official state visit to Switzerland, the first by a South African head of state to the country. South Africa is Switzerland's most important partner on the African continent in science, research and technology, and UZH has over 40 active collaborations with South African universities.
Since 2021, UZH has engaged in highly productive research and teaching projects on blockchain and cryptocurrencies with the University of Cape Town (UCT). This success motivated Minister Nzimande to meet with UZH's Blockchain Center, an interdisciplinary hub led by Professor Claudio Tessone that researches blockchain technology and its applications. The meeting focused on current joint research and educational initiatives with South African partners and how to scale the summer school program that the two universities have successfully run over the past year.
Prof. Thorsten Hens, member of the Blockchain Center's Steering Committee and Professor of Financial Economics at UZH, highlighted an innovative blockchain project for financial inclusion that could find application in many countries, including South Africa. The tokenized platform that they launched earlier this year in Sri Lanka has already enabled more than 20,000 individuals to save money abroad – for example, for their children's education. This technology provides access to Swiss bank savings that would otherwise be impossible.
Successful joint projects
UZH and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have strong ties, with over 300 co-authored publications over the past five years only. Deepening this collaboration, the UZH Blockchain Center holds a dual research chair with UCT, multiple research projects and runs the international summer school “Deep Dive into Blockchain.”
"Blockchains are a paradigm of a complex socio-techno-economic system," noted Prof. Tessone, emphasizing the Center’s interdisciplinary approach. Minister Nzimande expressed great interest in the crucial role the different disciplines, such as business, economics, finance, informatics, philosophy and law, play in the Center's activities.
Prof. Tessone and Dr. Shengnan Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the Blockchain Center, showcased the summer school program, which draws students from 72 countries with diverse academic backgrounds. Participants engage in interactive classrooms and hands-on sessions designed to develop critical thinking about blockchain applications. The intensive 3-week program ran simultaneously at both UZH and UCT for the first time in 2025, with hybrid lectures connecting students across continents.
The South African Minister was keen to understand the practical skills students acquire during the summer school. Prof. Tessone explained that the primary skill is critically evaluating whether a blockchain project is valid, while also learning to take a holistic view when setting up systems, gaining industry exposure, and questioning technology applications to avoid traps. Over three weeks, participants can develop their own ideas and, if viable, are given the opportunity to continue exploring them further with industry partners.
After the meeting, both sides expressed a strong commitment to further collaboration in order to broaden this unique educational opportunity and bring greater value to students in or traveling to South Africa.
Scaling the impact
This summer's edition enrolled 130 students across both campuses – the program's largest cohort. Together with Ms. Eudy Mabuza, Minister Counsellor for Science and Innovation at the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Brussels, the UZH researchers explored expanding the Blockchain Center’s summer school to invite more South African speakers and facilitate students from other South African universities, while continuing to provide students with full financial support, including tuition, accommodation and travel.
The blockchain collaboration is part of UZH's broader engagement with South Africa. Between 2020 and 2025, UZH researchers produced 958 co-authored publications with South African institutions, with the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, the University of the Witwatersrand, and the University of Pretoria as leading partners. Beyond research, UZH is institutionally connected with the University of Johannesburg through the Universitas 21 (U21) network and maintains active student exchange programs with Stellenbosch University and the University of Johannesburg. Currently, 44 South African students are enrolled in UZH's full-time programs, and the Faculty of Law offers a double degree program with the University of Johannesburg. Minister Nzimande's visit underscored the potential to build on these established foundations, strengthening ties between UZH’s and South Africa's research and academic communities.
Aspasia Daskalopoulou
