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.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) eRA Commons users: two-step authentication requirement
To ensure you can always access eRA Commons and Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST), associate your existing Commons login with Login.gov to enable two-factor authentication (sometimes called multi-factor
authentication or MFA). eRA Commons users who have the Principal Investigator (PI) role have been required for some time to use two-step authentication. Individuals who do not hold the PI role in eRA Commons can still log in without MFA, however
eventually NIH will discontinue this process.
You can find all the information you need here.
Office for Postgraduate Studies and Researcher Development (OPGS) upcoming events
The OPGS offers workshops, seminars and information sessions to support and enhance the academic learning of UCT's postgraduate community. It strives to develop postgraduate students and fellows by teaching essential skills in areas of writing,
research ethics, self-management and supervision, to name a few.
These offerings are advertised on the OPGS workshop calendar. The semester 1 calendar will be published at the beginning of February. The OPGS also advertises on behalf of other
departments at UCT, such as Digital Library Services and the Libraries and Careers Service. Keep an eye out for what might be of interest to you and relevant to your academic journey.
Call for nominations: The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) awards 2026
UCT internal deadline: 11 March 2024
TWAS provides nine awards to individual scientists who have been working and living in a developing country for at least 10 years. The awards are made in recognition of an outstanding contribution to scientific knowledge in nine fields of sciences
and/or to the application of science and technology to sustainable development.
The nine fields of sciences are:
- Agriculture, Nutrition & Food Systems Sciences
- Biological Sciences
- Chemical Sciences
- Earth, Climate & Environmental Sciences
- Engineering & Computer Sciences
- Mathematical Sciences
- Medical & Health Sciences
- Physics, Astronomy & Space Sciences
- Social Sciences (excluding economic sciences)
An award value of US$10,000 for each field accompanied by a plaque will be presented at the 2026 TWAS general conference.
See more eligibility criteria and information here. The TWAS nomination form may be downloaded here.
Call for nominations: TWAS Siwei Cheng award 2026
UCT internal deadline: 11 March 2024
TWAS Siwei Cheng award reflects the Chinese Academy of Sciences' strong support to TWAS and, more generally, seeks to build scientific capacity in the developing world. It is named after the renowned Chinese economist Siwei Cheng (1935-2015),
an economist, chemical engineer, and major political figure.
The award will recognize economic scientists who have been living and working in a developing country for at least 10 years. An award value of US$10,000 accompanied by a medal will be presented at the 2026 TWAS General Conference.
See more eligibility criteria and information here. The TWAS Siwei Cheng nomination form may be
downloaded here.
Reminder: Call for applications for NRF evaluation and application 2024
Extended UCT Internal closing dates: Applications received between 25 January and 19 February 2024 will receive feedback in the second week of March 2024
Applications are invited for the next cycle of NRF evaluation and rating. This call applies to researchers who are applying for re-evaluation and first-time applicants. The NRF does not accept applications submitted directly by applicants;
therefore, UCT can only endorse applications submitted via the internal review process.
See more information and deadlines here.
Reminder: UCT Knowledge Co-op available topics
for socially responsive research in 2024
The UCT Knowledge Co-op engages community groups around the research they consider useful for their work. These topics are available for honours or master's
dissertations and for academics' personal research.
The Co-op facilitates discussions to ensure the resulting proposal fits the requirements of both the community partner and UCT. Dissertations follow the usual departmental timeframe and process with support from the Co-op throughout.
The Co-op's website has just been updated to show more than 193 topics to choose from. See the available projects here.
Funding opportunities and funder announcements
Visit the current funding opportunities page on the Research Support Hub to view all open funding opportunities.
URC call for applications: Short Research Visit (SRV)/Short Research Course (SRC)
Deadline: 27 March 2024
Applications are invited in support of research visits/courses taking place between 1 June and 31 December 2024.
The purpose of this URC funding is to contribute to UCT’s research output and profile. These grants are intended to support staff wishing to make short research visits or to attend short research courses abroad for no longer than two months to
enhance their research productivity. The visit/course attendance (including online courses) must be embedded within the ambit of the applicant’s research endeavours.
Applications are highly competitive, and funding is currently limited to a maximum of R30,000 per application when travelling abroad or R15 000.00 for online participation. Good track record in the training of post-graduate students and publications
in accredited journals and books are advantageous.
See eligibility criteria and more information here. For more enquiries, please contact Paul
Dantu.
Call for applications: Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Foreign, Commonwealth
and Development Office
UCT internal deadline: 8 March 2024
The Medical Research Council and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office invite applications for its African research leaders call. This supports global health research and the strengthening of research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa
(SSA). The aim to attract and retain rising star individuals who will lead high quality research on key global health issues pertinent to SSA. Researchers should be supported by an enthusiastic local research environment and by a UK-based partner as
part of a partnership between the African and UK institutions.
See more information here.
Call for applications: Poliomyelitis Research Foundation (PRF)
UCT internal deadline: 2 February 2024
The Poliomyelitis Research Foundation (PRF) invites applications for its research grants. These are awarded to established researchers who have a track record of independent, innovative research supported by a significant publication record.
Researchers holding a PhD or equivalent degree may apply. In exceptional cases, the PI may have a master's degree and at least three years of research experience and publications.
Funder deadline: 28 February 2024.
Contact information:
More information may be viewed here.
Call for applications: Wellcome Early-Career Awards – May 2024 round
UCT internal deadline: 11 March 2024
The Wellcome Early-Career Awards scheme is soliciting applications from early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, awardees will deliver shifts in understanding that
could improve human life, health, and wellbeing.
By the end of the award, successful candidates will be equipped to lead their own independent research programme. 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.
Contact information:
More information, including details of an information session on Tuesday, 13 February 2024, may be viewed here.
Research capacity building
Below are events, workshops and webinars that offer capacity-building opportunities for the UCT research community.
Upcoming Digital Scholar Series
webinars
The 2024 Digital Scholar Series, focusing on all things research data, kicks off on Wednesday, 7 February at 13:00. Join us for our first session on Data Management Plans (DMP).
More than just another box to tick in your Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a DMP helps you figure out how you will work with and manage your data throughout your research project. We share some platforms and practices available to the UCT
community for this purpose, and we also take you through UCT DMP, our online tool that guides you through creating your data management plan. This session is ideal for researchers starting off on their project.
See more information and register here.
The Research Announcement is produced by the Research Office, University of Cape Town.
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