ResearchAnnouncement

Research Announcement: UCT research news and funding opportunities

2 December 2021

Dear colleagues

The purpose of this announcement is to keep members of the UCT research community informed about news and funding opportunities in the research space. All new funding opportunities can also be found on the current funding opportunities page of the Research Support Hub.

In this newsletter:

Noticeboard

Funding opportunities and funder announcements

Research capacity building


Noticeboard

On the Research Announcement noticeboard, we share news and items of interest from the UCT Research Office.


Call for nominations: HSRC-USAf Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities
Nomination closing date: 20 January 2022

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), in partnership with Universities South Africa (USAf), invites nominees for the HSRC-USAf Medal for the Social Sciences and Humanities. The medal is awarded annually to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to scholarship in the social sciences and humanities in the course of their research.

The 2021/2022 HSRC-USAf awards aim to recognise this research excellence under the “Engaged Scholarship” theme.

Full details on the nomination call and nomination process can be downloaded here. The nomination form can be accessed here.

Enquiries can be directed to Dr Palesa Sekhejane or to Dr Linda Meyer.


Call for nominations: 2021/2022 NSTF-South32 Awards
Nomination closing date: 8 and 10 December 2021

The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) calls for nominations for the 24th NSTF-South32 Awards.

The NSTF’s theme for 2022 is ‘Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development’, in support of the international year as proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Special Annual Theme Award for 2021/2022 will be made for an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation from research and development in the basic sciences for sustainable development. The basic sciences are defined here as the scientific disciplines of mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, earth sciences and astronomy. 

A more detailed call for nominations can be downloaded here.

Register nominations for one of the categories by 10 December 2021. This can be done via the Research Office or by a nominator. If you prefer to submit nominations directly to the NSTF, please click here.

If you would like to be nominated by the Research Office in one of the categories or have queries about the process, please contact Ms Zam Ndzotyana by no later than Wednesday 08 December 2021.


Funding opportunities

Visit the current funding opportunities page on the Research Support Hub to view all open funding opportunities.


Call for applications: UCT research grant for implementing the 4Rs in animal research
Application and nomination deadline: 28 February 2022 at 17:00 SAST

The DVC’s office offers a research grant to support research projects that will result in the implementation of the principles of the 4Rs in animals used for scientific and teaching purposes.

The 4Rs provide a framework for the humane use of animals for scientific and teaching purposes i.e., replacement with appropriate living or non-living models, reduction in number of animals used, refinement in the use of animals (adequate use of enrichment, analgesia, humane endpoints etc.) and responsibility in all aspects of their research such as post procedure welfare monitoring, identification and prompt response to unexpected incidents.

Applicants should be UCT staff members or students and PASS staff will are also eligible for the grant. Interested candidates are encouraged to complete the application form which can be accessed here. Only applications submitted using the online form will be considered. The full call document can be accessed here.

Queries can be directed to the Office of Research Integrity.


Call for applications: European Commission Horizon Europe funding calls 2022 
UCT intention-to-submit deadline: 24 December 2021

The European Commission has 21 funding opportunities with Africa as the specific priority that are currently open or forthcoming.   
 
Please see here for all available opportunities with Africa as the specific priority. 
 
Internal deadlines for each faculty are provided in a previous research announcement notice.  
 
If you intend applying for an opportunity due in February 2022, please complete this intention to submit form by 24 December 2021, so that the International Grants Hub can advise you of the complexities associated with applying for European Commission calls.


Call for applications: WE-STAR Fellowships
Deadline: 28 January 2022

The ICGEB and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) have partnered to offer early-career female scientists from the African continent mobility fellowships of 6 to 12 months at the ICGEB laboratories in Trieste (Italy), New Delhi (India) and Cape Town (South Africa) in pursuit of research work on biotechnology and related fields, including Health (Infectious Diseases and Non-Communicable Diseases), Sustainable and Effective Agriculture, Industrial Biotechnology and Renewable Energy. 

For further detailed information on the guidelines and application, please click here or visit the call's dedicated website here.


Reminder: Future Professors Programme | Fellowship in Academic Excellence and Leadership
Application deadline: 11 February 2022
The Future Professors Programme (FPP) is a national collaborative programme aimed at developing qualities of academic excellence and leadership among a select pool of academic staff, with an emphasis on black and women scholars.

This call, the third and final for phase 1 of this programme, seeks to identify a group of the country’s most talented young academics to benefit from a structured and intense programme aimed at accelerating their readiness for the professoriate.

Academics preferably – but not exclusively – in the lecturer and senior lecturer categories in South African public universities may be nominated by their universities. Applicants should hold a doctorate and have already presented clear indications in their scholarly work of advancement towards the senior ranks of the academy. An NRF rating or similar external markers of scholarly standing are a strong recommendation.

The programme is not a developmental but a preparatory programme. Each university may nominate a maximum of five candidates. From these nominations, a cohort will be selected for the programme which will commence in January 2023. 

For details on the application process, contact Mrs Fazeela Felton.


Research capacity building

Below we share events, workshops and webinars that offer capacity-building opportunities for the UCT research community.


Call for expressions of interest: UCT Engaged Scholarship Programme 2022
Deadline: 31 December 2021

Are you interested in enhancing the quality and societal impact of your research, teaching or innovation through community or public engagement? Would you like to work with others, across faculties, to develop your capacity for research, teaching and innovation that involves groups external to the university? Would you like to be part of a group that helps to shape an institutional culture which supports, recognises and rewards engaged scholarship? 

If so, you might like to participate in the 2022 Engaged Scholarship Programme. Offered under the auspices of the Research Office and the University Social Responsiveness Committee, the Engaged Scholarship Programme provides a space for professional development for UCT academic staff and postdoctoral fellows who wish to embed high quality engagement in their research and/or teaching, and are interested in the transformative possibilities of engaged scholarship. 

More details about the programme as well as details on the procedure and deadline for expressions of interest, can be downloaded here.

For a list of selection criteria, a copy of the commitment form and further information, please contact Sonwabo Ngcelwane.


Booklet launch: Bridging the Gap - A guide to Innovation Funding at UCT
11:00 - 12:00 on 14 December 2021

Please join UCT Research Contracts and Innovation (RC&I) as they launch the Bridging the Gap funding booklet. The booklet is an essential part of UCT's drive to support innovation and the commercialisation of research.

It details UCT's range of funding instruments for very early pre-seed right through to early-stage venture capital funding, which UCT either manages internally or through RC&I. Please download more details about the event together with the program here.

For queries, and to RSVP, please email Yandi Sopete
.


The Research Announcement is produced by the Research Office, University of Cape Town.

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