SASUF - NRF Seed Grants for academia, Industry, Society Collaboration

Overview

Building on earlier work, the third funded phase of SASUF, SASUF+, launches the SASUF–NRF Seed Grants for Intra-African Collaborative Research Projects through the SASUF+ Beyond Borders initiative. Implemented in partnership with South Africa's National Research Foundation (NRF), the grants support the establishment of new multilateral research collaborations between universities in Sweden, South Africa, and the 19 additional African countries participating in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI).

Objectives

The SASUF–NRF Seed Grants aim to:

• Establish new research collaborations between Swedish, South African and SGCI partner universities.

• Strengthen long-term institutional partnerships and international research networks.

• Support the development of competitive joint research proposals and future collaborative funding opportunities.

• Encourage the participation and leadership of early- and mid-career researchers alongside established researchers.

• Create opportunities for postgraduate researchers, particularly doctoral candidates, to participate in international research collaboration, mentorship and knowledge exchange.

• Promote interdisciplinary research addressing shared societal challenges relevant to Africa and Sweden.

Research Themes

Projects should address one or more of the four broad SASUF research themes:

• Sustainable Health

• Green Transition

• Migration and Urbanisation

• Democracy, Social Justice, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems

The themes are intentionally broad, encouraging researchers to think creatively about how their expertise can contribute across the different thematic areas.

Project Duration and Timeline

Projects will be funded for 16 months, from 1 March 2027 until 1 July 2028.

ActivityDateLaunch of the callWednesday, 5 August 2026Application deadlineTuesday, 3 November 2026Designated Authority (DA) deadline (South African applicants only)Tuesday, 10 November 2026Screening and reviewDecember 2026 – January 2027Award decisions and contractingFebruary 2027Start of funded projects1 March 2027End of funded projects1 July 2028Submission of final report31 July 2028

Although the funders endeavour to adhere to the timeline above, the multilateral nature of the programme requires coordination between participating countries and alignment of different academic and financial years. The funders therefore reserve the right to amend the schedule without prior notice.

Eligibility Criteria

All Swedish and South African applicants must be based at one of the SASUF partner universities. A full list of the 37 SASUF member universities is available here: https://www.sasuf.org/partneruniversities.

The additional African partner university must be based in one of the 19 countries participating in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI):

Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe.

Consortium Requirements

A proposal is eligible only if it includes participants from at least:

• two (2) South African SASUF partner universities;

• two (2) Swedish SASUF partner universities; and

• one (1) additional African university from one of the SGCI participating countries.

A proposal must therefore consist of a minimum of five (5) consortium members.

In addition to the minimum consortium, further research partners from South Africa, Sweden, or any of the SGCI participating countries may be included, provided that their role and contribution to the project are clearly justified.

Principal Investigators

Each proposal must nominate:

• one Principal Investigator (PI) based at a South African university; and

• one Principal Investigator (PI) based at a Swedish university.

The PIs will bear the overall responsibility for the project, including its scientific, technical and administrative coordination, as well as the timely submission of scientific and financial reports.

PIs must hold a PhD to be eligible; this requirement does not apply to Co-PIs.

Each consortium may submit only one proposal, and no researcher may serve as PI on more than one proposal.

Former SASUF beneficiaries are welcome to participate; however, the proposed project must not be a continuation of a previously funded SASUF project.

Project Expectations

Projects should promote gender equality, capacity development and inclusive participation by involving early-career and mid-career researchers. In line with the goals of SASUF+, projects are expected to strengthen long-term collaborative partnerships, support joint innovation, and address societal challenges by linking global perspectives with local contexts.

The involvement of Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) and Universities of Technology (UoTs) in South Africa is highly encouraged. Please note that only the following universities are recognised as HDIs and UoTs by the Department of Higher Education and Training: Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Central University of Technology (CUT), Durban University of Technology (DUT), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Fort Hare (UFH), University of Limpopo (UL), University of the Western Cape (UWC), University of Venda (UNIVEN), University of Zululand (UNIZULU), Vaal University of Technology (VUT), and Walter Sisulu University (WSU).

Eligible Research Activities

Funding may support research capacity development activities such as:

• Postgraduate student exchange programmes

• General research-related mobility

• Joint workshops, seminars, conferences and symposia

• Lecture presentations

• Meetings and local or regional dissemination activities involving stakeholders and end-users outside the consortium
  

The following costs are not eligible for funding:

• Consultant fees

• Project management fees

• Educational expenses (scholarships and bursaries)

• Large equipment

• Salaries and temporary staff costs

Funding Regulations

Researchers should ensure that all expenses comply with the financial rules and regulations applicable in their respective countries.

The requested budget may not exceed:

• SEK 100,000 (SASUF contribution); and

• ZAR 160,000 (NRF contribution)

per consortium project.

A maximum of 20 consortium projects will be funded.

Grant Administration

Eligible African partners include both public and private universities in the SGCI participating countries. Funds may be transferred to eligible African partner universities, or to formally constituted consortia specified in the application, in accordance with the relevant institutional financial procedures.

The NRF contribution will be disbursed to the South African Principal Investigator upon signature of the Conditions of Grant (CoG). The SASUF contribution will be allocated to the Swedish Principal Investigator. Thereafter, the consortium is responsible for distributing funds to the remaining consortium partners, where applicable, in accordance with the approved budget and the participating institutions' financial procedures.

Additional Funding Opportunities

Participating institutions are encouraged to secure complementary funding from other sources. Any co-funding or leveraged funding should be clearly indicated in the application.

SASUF is also in dialogue with the funding agencies and relevant ministries across the SGCI participating countries to explore opportunities for additional travel support. Any such opportunities that become available will be communicated directly to funded participants.

Please review the full call information document, available at the top of this page, for detailed information about the call and how to submit your application.