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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. For research-related
enquiries, visit the Research Support Services page.
In this newsletter, new entries have been included in purple for easy reference:
Funding opportunities and funder announcements
Noticeboard
Research capacity building
Funding opportunities and funder announcements
Visit the current funding opportunities page on the Research Support Hub to view all open funding opportunities.
The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) Collaborative Research Programme (CRP) Grants – 2025: Call for applications
UCT intention to submit deadline: 4 April 2025
Funder deadline: 30 April 2025
The ICGEB is inviting applications for its CRP Grants. These grants support high-quality research in biotechnology and molecular biology, fostering international collaboration, training young scientists, and strengthening research capacity
in ICGEB Member States, including South Africa. Projects may focus on basic life sciences, human healthcare, industrial and agricultural biotechnology or bioenergy.
For more information, click here.
Direct queries to:
Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer (JWO) Research Grant:
Call for applications
UCT intention to submit deadline: 24 April 2025
Funder deadline: 2 May 2025 at 00h00 (SAST)
The JWO Research Grant aims to support early-career scientists conducting impactful research focused on addressing critical challenges in Africa, with a strong emphasis on biodiversity and conservation. Applicants are encouraged to propose
research that advances knowledge within their field, provides scalable solutions to African challenges across multiple geographies, and incorporates innovative methodologies.
For more information, click here.
Direct queries to:
Wellcome Trust Awards - October 2025 Round: Calls for
applications
Research proposals may be in any discipline – including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), experimental medicine, humanities and social science, clinical/allied health sciences, and public health – as long as it has the
potential to improve human life, health and wellbeing, and aligns with the Wellcome Trust’s funding remit.
- Wellcome Early-Career Awards
UCT Intention to submit deadline: 1 August 2025
Funder deadline: 1 October 2025, 17:00 GMT
The Wellcome Early-Career Awards scheme is soliciting applications from early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. By the end of the award, successful candidates will be equipped to lead their own independent research programme. For more information, click
here.
Reminder: NRF Thuthuka Programme: Call for applications
UCT internal deadline: 31 March 2025
The primary aim of the Thuthuka funding instrument is to support the professional development of emerging researchers and support well-structured research projects with achievable aims and sound methodologies. Emerging/early career researchers
and scholars will be supported under the following three tracks: PhD; Post-PhD and NRF Rating. For the call document, eligibility criteria, and details about the submission process, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: Support for Y-rated Researchers: Call for applications
UCT internal deadline: 2 April 2025
Research Development Grants for Y-Rated Researchers is an instrument to support ring-fenced, once-off grants that are competitive and discipline-based in nature. The instrument is aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the NRF to drive transformation
consistently and strategically through supporting primarily basic research as the foundation of knowledge production in the disciplines of the Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences. For the call framework including eligibility criteria and
details about the submission process, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: DSI / NRF Conference Fund: Call for applications
UCT internal deadline: 4 April 2025
The Conference Fund is intended to support the hosting of prominent international conferences focused on excellent scientific research that has potential for socio‐economic impact. The conference should take place between 1 January 2026 and 31
December 2026. For more details and information on how to apply, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: 2026 NRF Postdoctoral Fellowships: Call for applications
UCT internal deadline: 7 April 2025
This funding is intended to support candidates to conduct research in all areas of Science, Engineering, Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities, including Indigenous Knowledge Systems, focusing on research aligned with one of the National
Priority Research Areas.The call is now open for the Freestanding Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowships, and the Scarce Skills Postdoctoral Fellowships. For more information, click here.
Direct queries to Emile van Wyk by emailing [email protected].
Reminder: Africa-UK Physics Partnership
(AUPP) Programme: Call for applications
UCT internal deadline: 14 April 2025
The aim of this call is to provide research mobility grants to African early career physicists to travel across African universities and create networks for capacity strengthening, training, access to infrastructure and develop new networks for
future research and innovation collaborative projects. Application information, including eligibility criteria and details about the submission process, is available here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: Foundational Biodiversity Information Programme (FBIP)
- FBIP: Concept Notes for Large Integrated Team Projects
UCT internal deadline: 15 April 2025
FBIP aims to fund large, collaborative / integrated team projects which align with knowledge needs, or which involve participants along the entire value chain from knowledge generation to application for decision-making. For the call framework
including eligibility criteria and details about the submission process, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
- FBIP: Proposals for Small Grants (1)
UCT internal deadline: 22 April 2025
Proposals for small, strategic projects that address critical gaps relevant to foundational biodiversity information and knowledge are invited. For more details and information on how to apply, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: Pivot Fellowship: Call for applications
UCT intention to submit deadline: 17 April 2025
Funder deadline: 15 May 2025
The Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International are now accepting applications for the next class of Pivot Fellows. The programme provides funding for
today’s brightest minds to apply their talent and expertise to a new field in mathematics or the natural sciences.For the full guide and further details on the application process, click here.
Reminder: Wellcome Trust Awards: Calls for applications
Research proposals may be in any discipline – including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), experimental medicine, humanities and social science, clinical/allied health sciences, and public health – as long as it has the
potential to improve human life, health and wellbeing, and aligns with the Wellcome Trust’s funding remit.
- Reminder: Wellcome Career Development Awards
UCT intention to submit deadline: 30 April 2025
Funder deadline: 25 July 2025, 17:00 GMT
The Wellcome Career Development Awards scheme is soliciting applications from mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. For more information, click here.
- Reminder: Wellcome Discovery Awards
UCT intention to submit deadline: 6 May 2025
Funder deadline: 30 July 2025, 17:00 GMT
The Wellcome Discovery Awards scheme is soliciting applications from established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in
understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. For more information, click here.
Reminder: University Equipment Committee (UEC) Research Equipment Call - Faculty-prioritised Large Equipment
Grants for 2025
Deadline: 23 May 2025
Equipment may be defined as a facility or system that is used for research purposes and that provides experimental, analytical, processing, testing, measurement, storing, housing, preparation, performative or recording capabilities. Access the
application form here.
Click here for details on the eligibility criteria, the application process, award conditions, timelines, and contact details of FEC Chairs /
Representatives to whom you can direct your queries.
Reminder: Advanced Computing Committee (ACC) research equipment call
2025
Deadline: 30 May 2025
Researchers are invited to apply for funding for strategic research-related computer equipment and software items (including implementation support e.g. specialised computing services) not covered in the conventional way by faculty equipment or IT
committees. For further details about the application process, the faculty contacts for any queries and a link to the application form, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Noticeboard
On the Research Announcement noticeboard, we share news and items of interest from the UCT Research Office.
Nature magazine's annual photo competition
Deadline: 28 March 2025
The #ScientistAtWork photo competition for students and researchers is a celebration of the working lives of scientists. The aim is to challenge existing preconceptions of what researchers look like and what they do day-to-day.
Winners will be featured in Nature magazine alongside a short interview, receive £500 (or equivalent in a different currency) as well as a print and online personal subscription to Nature. For the full
terms and conditions, click here.
Email photographs to [email protected].
National Research
Foundation (NRF) Thuthuka and Black Academics Advancement Programme (BAAP) Briefing Session
The NRF is hosting a virtual briefing session for the 2025/26 Thuthuka and BAAP funding calls.
- Date: Monday, 31 March 2025
- Time: 10:00 to 12:00
- Platform: Zoom (join here)
Direct queries to [email protected].
UNESCO’s Global Survey on the Research Status and Infrastructure in Quantum Science and Technology (QST): Invitation
Deadline: 30 April 2025
This survey, developed under the framework of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025), seeks to better understand the global QST landscape - its challenges, opportunities, and trends - and to inform strategies that
promote inclusive growth, policy coherence, and capacity-building, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Researchers, educators, innovators, policymakers, and industry experts working in
quantum-related fields, are invited to share their insights.
Access the survey here.
For more details, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: Wellcome Committee Observer Initiative: Call for applications
Deadline: 14 April 2025
Wellcome is offering an opportunity for earlier career researchers to observe their funding advisory and shortlisting committees, in an attempt to try to demystify Wellcome processes. More information and details on eligibility criteria, click
here. The applications form is available here.
DHET creative research outputs: Call for
submissions
Deadline: 30 April 2025
The Research Office invites research staff to submit their 2022, 2023 and 2024 creative research outputs for submission to the DHET. This process results in the DHET awarding subsidies to UCT for creative research outputs in the following subfields:
fine and visual arts; music, theatre, performance and dance; design; film and television; and literary arts. For more information, including guidelines, processes and resources, click here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: UCT migrates to Pivot-RP: A new and enhanced research funding
platform
UCT is transitioning from Research Professional Africa (RPA) to Pivot-RP, an upgraded platform designed to streamline the search for international and national research funding opportunities. Pivot-RP
provides access to a comprehensive database of funding opportunities from international and national funding agencies, private foundations, non-profits, universities, and commercial entities – all within one easy-to-use platform. UCT researchers can
claim their profiles on Pivot-RP by visiting Pivot-RP website. Read more here.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Research Capacity Building
Below are events, workshops and webinars that offer capacity-building opportunities for the UCT research community.
Digital Scholar Series webinar: Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) @ UCTL
Explore working with spatial data and GIS. Whether you simply need to visualise your data with a map or are looking for complex patterns through spatial analyses, this session will reveal the support that is available to
you at UCT when using GIS.
- Date: Wednesday, 9 April 2025
- Time: 13:00
Register here.
Reminder: Biosafety and Biosecurity workshops
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) will be hosting a new series of Biosafety and Biosecurity workshops, Mastering Biosafety and Biosecurity Forms.
- Date: Monday, 10 April 2025
More information is available on the revamped Biosafety and Biosecurity webpage.
Reminder: Office for Postgraduate Studies and Researcher Development
(OPGS) workshops
The OPGS commences its first semester workshops and webinars next week. Students are welcome to peruse the semester 1 calendar, and register for in-person workshops and webinars, seminars, information
sessions and competitions that teach essential skills in areas of writing, research ethics, self-management, presentation skills and supervision, amongst others.
Direct queries to [email protected].
Reminder: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) workshops
The ORI is launching its in-person RCR workshop programme for the first semester of 2025.
- 3 April 2025: Open to all faculties
- 15 April 2025: Open to the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)
More information is available on the ORI Training and Education webpage. Direct queries to [email protected].
The Research Announcement is produced by the Research Office, University of Cape Town.
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