Dr Maria Eggink
Dr Maria Eggink is currently employed at the University of Mpumalanga as a Senior Lecturer in Economics. She plays an active role in the development of teaching and learning, as well as research capacity building, through organising communities of practice on a regular basis at the University. Since she started working at UMP in 2016, she has been involved in the development of new programmes for the University. Dr Eggink currently serves on several committees in the Faculty of Economics, Development, and Business Sciences. These committees include the Management Committee, Research Committee, Academic Integrity Committee, Post Graduate Committee, Timetable Committee (Chair), and Management Committee of CFERI.
Since the completion of her DCom Economics at UNISA in 2012, Dr Eggink has been involved in research. She wrote several papers, presented it at conferences and published it. Dr Eggink’s doctoral thesis was focused on the role of innovation in economic development, and she developed a conceptual model of an innovation system for. Dr Eggink’s research is currently focused on the enhancement of innovation through entrepreneurship. She received an Academic Excellence award in 2012 and the merit award for Woman Researcher of the Year 2013 of the Faculty Economics & Finance, Tshwane University of Technology.
In the field of community involvement Dr Eggink has played an active role. Apart from the contract work for the Mpumalanga Provincial Government by compiling an information and research inventory, and conducting a survey on the industrial development of the province, she participated in several forums and committees of the Mpumalanga Province. Some of these forums or committees include the Provincial Economic Forum/Think Tank; Mpumalanga Province research steering committee; Mpumalanga Development Profile task team; the Mpumalanga Independent Research Forum (MIRF); adjudication committee of the Mpumalanga Export Awards; and Task team for the development of the “Poverty eradication and coordination strategy”.