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.


Coronavirus Disease 2019 updates

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.

UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Frequently asked questions

 

Daily updates


Friday, 5 February 14:20, 5 February 2021
Monday, 4 January 16:50, 4 January 2021
Friday, 18 December 11:30, 18 December 2020
Thursday, 19 November 09:30, 19 November 2020
Friday, 13 November 12:40, 13 November 2020
Friday, 16 October 10:05, 16 October 2020
Wednesday, 14 October 12:50, 14 October 2020
Tuesday, 22 September 14:10, 22 September 2020
Friday, 11 September 10:05, 11 September 2020
Monday, 31 August 12:20, 31 August 2020
Wednesday, 12 August 10:20, 12 August 2020
Friday, 7 August 11:24, 7 August 2020
Thursday, 6 August 18:26, 6 August 2020
Monday, 27 July 14:00, 27 July 2020
Wednesday, 15 July 09:30, 15 July 2020
Monday, 13 July 14:25, 13 July 2020
Monday, 6 July 16:20, 6 July 2020
Thursday, 25 June 10:15, 25 June 2020
Tuesday, 23 June 12:30, 23 June 2020
Thursday, 18 June 17:35, 18 June 2020
Wednesday, 17 June 10:45, 17 June 2020
Tuesday, 2 June 12:20, 2 June 2020
Friday, 29 May 09:25, 29 May 2020
Monday, 25 May 14:00, 25 May 2020
Thursday, 21 May 12:00, 21 May 2020
Wednesday, 6 May 10:00, 6 May 2020
Tuesday, 5 May 17:05, 5 May 2020
Thursday, 30 April 17:10, 30 April 2020
Tuesday, 28 April 10:30, 28 April 2020
Friday, 24 April 09:35, 24 April 2020
Thursday, 23 April 17:00, 23 April 2020
Wednesday, 22 April 14:25, 22 April 2020
Monday, 20 April 17:45, 20 April 2020
Friday, 17 April 12:30, 17 April 2020
Thursday, 16 April 09:45, 16 April 2020
Tuesday, 14 April 11:30, 14 April 2020
Thursday, 9 April 09:00, 9 April 2020
Wednesday, 8 April 15:40, 8 April 2020
Wednesday, 1 April 15:50, 1 April 2020
Friday, 27 March 11:40, 27 March 2020
Thursday, 26 March 18:30, 26 March 2020
Tuesday, 24 March 15:40, 24 March 2020
Monday, 23 March 15:40, 23 March 2020
Friday, 20 March 16:00, 20 March 2020
Thursday, 19 March 09:15, 19 March 2020
Wednesday, 18 March 16:00, 18 March 2020
Tuesday, 17 March 12:50, 17 March 2020
Monday, 16 March 17:15, 16 March 2020

Campus communications

 
2020

New SRC and other updates 16:44, 4 November 2020
Virtual graduation ceremonies 13:30, 21 October 2020
Online staff assembly and other updates 15:09, 30 September 2020
Fee adjustments and other updates 15:21, 16 September 2020
Call for proposals: TLC2020 10:15, 26 August 2020
SAULM survey and other updates 15:30, 5 August 2020
COVID-19 cases and other updates 15:26, 5 August 2020
New UCT Council and other updates 15:12, 15 July 2020
Upcoming UCT virtual events 09:30, 15 July 2020
Pre-paid data for UCT students 14:25, 22 April 2020
Update for postgraduate students 12:55, 20 April 2020
UCT Human Resources and COVID-19 16:05, 19 March 2020
UCT confirms second COVID-19 case 09:15, 19 March 2020
Update on UCT COVID-19 response 13:50, 11 March 2020
Update on COVID-19 17:37, 6 March 2020

Resources

Video messages from the Department of Medicine

Getting credible, evidence-based, accessible information and recommendations relating to COVID-19

The Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, are producing educational video material for use on digital platforms and in multiple languages. The information contained in these videos is authenticated and endorsed by the team of experts based in the Department of Medicine. Many of the recommendations are based on current best evidence and are aligned to provincial, national and international guidelines. For more information on UCT’s Department of Medicine, please visit the website.


To watch more videos like these, visit the Department of Medicine’s YouTube channel.

Useful information from UCT

External resources


News and opinions


Statements and media releases


Media releases



Read more  

Statements from Government



 
 

In an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”

 

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