ESRC-NRF Newton Call for Collaborative Research: Higher Education in Africa

Deadline: 3 May 2016

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and National Research Foundation (NRF) invite Collaborative Research between the UK and South Africa, offering additional value to existing programmes of education research, and contribute to the economic development and welfare of South Africa and Africa more broadly.

Thematic Areas

Proposals addressing the following themes are invited:

• Organisation of higher education systems, higher education institutions (HEIs) and alternative providers
• Equity in higher education access and participation
• Curriculum, pedagogy and modes and levels of provision
• Higher education for the public good
• Higher education and the labour market

Funding Information

• The ESRC has allocated up to £2.5 million and NRF has allocated RAND 10 million;
• Proposals are invited for joint UK and South African projects; each proposal may request £415,000 – £630,000 at 100 per cent fEC from the ESRC and R1.67m to R2.5m from NRF over 30 months in duration.

Eligibility Criteria

• UK applicants must meet the ESRC eligibility.
• Full-time employees at an NRF-recognised research institution in South Africa, who are eligible to apply according to the general NRF regulations and conditions, are invited to apply.
• Part-time employees on contract at an NRF-recognised research institution (as defined above) in South Africa are invited to apply, but on condition that their appointment at the South African institution is for (at least) the duration of the project applied for in the submission. The length of the contract should be stated in the proposal form. Salaries must be paid by the research institution, and the primary employment of the individual concerned must be at that institution. A contract researcher appointed at a research institution on behalf of a third party to fulfill a very specific function for the latter does not qualify for support.
• Retired academics/researchers are invited to apply, provided that they meet all set criteria as stipulated below:
  • Are resident in South Africa
  • Are formally affiliated to a South African higher education institution (eg appointed as an emeritus professor, honorary research associate/professor, supernumerary/contract employee).

How to Apply

Applicants must submit identical proposals via respective websites.

For more information, please visit ESRC-NRF.