Working together to meet the funding challenge for soft-funded researchers

17 August 2020 | Professor Sue Harrison

Dear colleagues and students

I am writing to update you on the work we have been doing to find solutions to the difficult funding position of soft-funded researchers and research groups. These difficulties have become particularly acute during COVID-19.

The funding challenge

One of the greatest uncertainties created by COVID-19 is, of course, research funding. We are preparing for a significant decrease in government funding next year: steep budget cuts have been announced for the National Research Foundation and the National Department of Higher Education & Training, including Science & Innovation. At the same time, international funders and donors are experiencing their own financial challenges. Competition for funding is fierce, particularly as these organisations may feel the pressure to focus on their local environments.

Last year, the University of Cape Town (UCT) signed research contracts worth a total of R1.7 billion. At this point in the year we have about the same amount of funding as we did in 2019 (approximately R700 million as at the end of June) but we have signed fewer contracts. We are expecting an impact on total funding in the second half of the year. In addition, we need to cover costs in situations where student and postdoc stipends come to an end before the completion of their research, due to delays caused by COVID-19. We don't have an immediate solution, but we have been engaging actively with funders to try to mitigate this problem.

UCT is, of course, deeply affected as an institution by the financial impact of the pandemic on our own operations.

The scale of the soft-funded challenge is significant, with more than 1 000 people at UCT whose salaries depend on external research contracts. Their work is critical, not only to our research enterprise but also in terms of its immeasurable impact on our society.

We are committed to supporting the research enterprise, including soft-funded research, as best we can. To do so, we need to take a careful and wise approach. Here is what we have done so far.

When the university went into lockdown, I established a research task team to identify potential routes to support soft-funded research during this difficult time, in addition to the task team handling our return to research. I have also written about the work that we have been doing to unpack the approach to funders.

We need to acknowledge the likelihood that UCT may not be able to continue supporting all soft-funded academic and research staff and their projects financially, but by working together with you, we will stabilise the research enterprise.

To this end, we have a drafted a policy that outlines specific plans to provide some support for soft-funded research groups whose work and funding have been interrupted, to create some stability over these difficult times. This support is proposed to be based on a set of guidelines that looks at the targeted needs of researchers and research groups; the mitigating actions taken by the researchers themselves; the potential of the researchers and research groups to add value in the future; and what they have contributed in the past. We are taking the draft policy through the necessary approval processes and look forward to being able to confirm these arrangements soon.

An institutional commitment and joint responsibility

As a research-intensive university, UCT values our soft-funded researchers, research support staff as part of the soft-funded research enterprise, and our wish is to retain them. Skilled staff members are a prized asset to the university and our broader community.

We have held an ongoing discussion with UCT’s Human Resources and Finance departments since the start of the pandemic. Both departments are equally committed to finding solutions: they have expressed their continued support for soft-funded researchers and are working closely with us to find the most appropriate route forward.

Our overall approach involves the executives and researchers working together to find that route as a joint responsibility. In my engagements with researchers, I have been really impressed by the thought that has been applied to mitigating the impact of the difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves. UCT researchers are rising to the challenge, showing considerable agility and commitment. As the pandemic continues and its financial impacts extend to the long term, so will our need to rely on each other to help meet the challenge.

This is a difficult space, but it has allowed us to re-examine how we do things. We are looking hard at how we can find innovative and agile approaches to build our research strengths and to extend the reach of their impact – not only through our choice of what we focus on doing, but how we do it, together. I invite you to contribute your thoughts and ideas. We are very open to listening to you and value your input.

Sincerely

Professor Sue Harrison
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation


Read previous communications:


Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Please view the republishing articles page for more information.


UCT’s response to COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.

 

“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.



If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.

IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
 

 

“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

TOP