Overview

The University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) invites applications for Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in the following areas:

• Cardiac research
• Cancer research
• Open category: any research area in the Faculty of Health Sciences

   Funding

• Up to R300 000 for a period of one year. Applications for renewal for one further year will be considered, subject to sufficient progress from the previous year’s award and in competition with new applications.

• The Faculty Postdoctoral Research Fellowship may be held concurrently with another formal research fellowship and/or supplementary grant provided 1) this does not contravene the other funders’ policies, and 2) the combined total funding does not exceed UCT’s capped value for postdoctoral research fellowships. This value changes annually and can be confirmed by UCT’s Postgraduate Funding Office.

  Eligibility

• Applicants should not be registered for study towards any degree at the time of assuming the fellowship.
• Applicants who were awarded their PhD degree no earlier than December 2020 are eligible.
• Applicants who have not yet obtained their PhD but have official proof that their PhD thesis has been examined and approved by the submission deadline of 12 November 2024 are eligible.
• Only one application may be submitted per individual
• Preference may be given to South African citizens.
• Applicants may not have held any previous professional or academic posts.
• Successful candidates will be expected to spend most of their time undertaking the proposed research but may be required to participate in limited teaching duties as part of professional development.

  Submission Process

Overview

The Harry Crossley Foundation is a private funder operating in Cape Town with their main focus being on tertiary Education and research.

Funding is allocated for:

• Postdoctoral Fellowships: The Harry Crossley Postdoctoral Research Fellowship is a one-year fellowship to support talented young health sciences researchers who have completed their PhD.
• Clinical Fellowships: The Harry Crossley Clinical Research Fellowship to support dedicated research time for early-career clinical, academic and research staff at UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

   Funding

• Postdoctoral:
  • Up to R260 000 for a period of one year

• Clinical:
  • Up to R150,000 for a period of a year

  Eligibility

• Postdoctoral:
  • Completed a PhD degree no more than five (5) years from the date of application.
  • Under 50 years of age.
  • Applicants may not have held any prior professional or academic positions.
  • Applicants must have submitted their PhD thesis by the application deadline.
  • Applicants should not be registered for study towards any degree at the time of assuming the fellowship.
  • Applications must be supported by a suitable research host in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

• Clinical:
  • Applicants should be under 45 years of age, in exceptional cases a more flexible age ceiling may be considered, and in these instances, candidates should submit a clear motivation detailing how they meet the description of an early-career researcher including whether they intend to complete a PhD as part of this work.
  • Applicants should have an employment contract with UCT/PGWC that exceeds the duration of the award
  • Fellowships must be taken up by the second half of 2022.

  Submission Process

Overview

Awards are given to the Best Publications. Awards are made in 3 categories - in the fields of:

• Clinical Sciences
• Basic Laboratory Sciences
• Public Health & Rehabilitation Sciences

   Funding

• Postgraduate Award: The award is made for a research publication considered to be of high quality within the discipline. The applicant must be the first author or acknowledged as the principal author of the publication.
• Early Career Award: The award will be made for a research publication considered to be of high quality within the discipline. The applicant must be the first author or acknowledged as the principal author of the publication.

  Eligibility

• Postgraduate Award:
  • Any postgraduate student or postdoctoral fellow within one year of completing a PhD may apply.
  • Only research carried out while the candidate was affiliated to UCT will be considered eligible.
  • The article must have been published in a peer-reviewed, DHET accredited journal.
  • The author’s affiliation on the paper must be to a department/division at the University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences.
• Early Career Award:
  • Any full-time or part-time member of staff or any postdoctoral fellow within 5 years of completing their PhD on the closing date may apply.
  • Only research carried out while the candidate was affiliated to UCT will be considered eligible.
  • The article must have been published in a peer-reviewed, DHET accredited journal.

  Submission Process

Overview

The Faculty Research Committee (FRC) has committed a budget to a Postgraduate Publication Incentive (PPI) to assist needy Faculty of Health Sciences postgraduates to prepare dissertation/thesis work for publication before they leave UCT.

   Funding

The funding is intended “buy time” to support students who may not have sufficient income to adequately cover their living expenses and not for general research expenses such as paying for statistical analysis, additional research assistants, transport costs and publication costs, which should be covered by other research funds.

  Eligibility

• Awards will be made on a competitive basis; the main criteria being the probability of success of publication in ISI accredited journals and identification of financial need.
• The award is limited to R 5000 per month for PhD students and the normal period of support will be one month. Awards for Master’s students may be considered depending on availability of funding.
• Students are required to sign a Memorandum of Agreement

  Submission Process

Overview

The Faculty Research Committee provides funding to departments which are based on the number of first year MMed students registered in the faculty of Health Sciences.

   Funding:

Funding of approximately R5000 per MMed student are awarded to the department where they can be designated towards MMed students research projects.

  Eligibility

• First year students registered for a MMed degree programme

  Submission Process

Overview

The University Equipment Committee seeks to advance, extend and support the research equipment infrastructure of UCT in concert with the research strategies of UCT, the faculties and departments. Equipment may be defined as a facility or system that is used for research purposes and that provides experimental, analytical, processing, testing, measurement, storing, housing, preparation, performative or recording capabilities.

• Category 1: Single items of equipment, typically less than R1.5 million, which do not require additional funding from a source external to UCT.
• Category 2: Single items of equipment, typically more than R1.5 million, which require additional funding from a source external to UCT. The NRF National Equipment Programme (NEP) call will open in February. Applicants must first submit R&I18 forms to their Faculty Equipment Committee representative. Once approved by the UEC the NRF online application may be completed.

   Funding

Funding by the University Equipment Committee is managed and administered through the UCT Central Research Office. Consult the Current Funding Opportunities page and the Research Announcements for updated calls and UCT internal deadlines.

  Submission Process

Overview

The Advanced Computing Committee Award (ACC) aims to provide funding to faculties for prioritised pieces of medium size (R50 000 to R750 000) computer related hardware and software that are not covered in the conventional way by Faculty IT Equipment Committees.

   Funding

Funding by the Advanced Computing Committee is managed and administered through the UCT Central Research Office. Consult the Current Funding Opportunities page and the Research Announcements for updated calls and UCT internal deadlines.

  Submission Process

Research Equipment Infrastructure Grant:

The purpose of this grant is to provide co-funding to research groups for single items of research equipment that do not qualify for equipment funding awards from the University Equipment Committee (UEC) or the Academic Computing Committee.

   Funding:

• This may include, but is not limited to, items such as handheld data collection devices, freezers, centrifuges, laminar flow hoods, autoclaves, and incubators. This category includes any essential research equipment that is classified as 'infrastructure' by the UEC or that is below the UEC funding threshold of R100, 000.
• Applicants must provide a minimum contribution of at least 10% of the total cost of the equipment.
• The maximum award from the Faculty Equipment Committee is R100, 000.

  Eligibility:

• Applicants must hold an academic or joint appointment in the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences and are limited to one application per round. 
• Applications must be submitted to the Faculty Research Office prior to them ranked and endorsed by the applicant’s Departmental Research Committee.

  Submission Process:

Start-Up Emerging Researcher Award:

A once off award to support emerging researchers to start up their research.

   Funding:

• Aimed at supporting emerging researchers, recently appointed in the FHS, who want to start their own research at UCT. Support is provided in the form of funding for a research project to be conducted by the applicant. We particularly encourage cancer-related applications as there is ring-fenced funding within FHS Research Committee for cancer-research projects.

• Funding for awards are up to a maximum R100,000 per award.

  Eligibility:

• Applicants must hold a PhD or a MBChB/Allied Health Professional degree with some research experience.
• Appointed in the FHS in an academic or joint staff position within the last 24 months (i.e. appointed after March 2022) OR appointed in the FHS for longer than 24 months if they obtained their PhD within the last 2 years.
• Hold a position up to Senior Research Officer/Senior Lecturer or equivalent.
• Employed as a permanent staff member or on a T2 contract for the period of the award (up to June 2026).
• Previous SERA awardees are NOT eligible to apply.
• Awards may not be used for salaries.
• Awards may not be used for student scholarships/bursaries.
• Awards may not be used for conference travel and conference attendance.
• Awards may not be used for Laptops/tablets/hard drives

  Submission Process:

Post Graduate Research Training Grant:

The intention of this award is to assist Principal Investigators to support a postgraduate related research project(s) with the vision to help fulfil the successful completion of both the project(s) and the postgraduate degree(s).

   Funding:

• A maximum award of R30 000 per application towards research costs.
• Research costs requested may include research consumables, other research related expenses and a contribution to the postgraduate student’s stipend.

  Eligibility:

• Application for the funding must be made by the Principal Investigator (academic or research staff member in the Faculty of Health Sciences) who is the supervisor of the postgraduate student(s) (including any postgraduate degree involving a research component – Honours, MSc, PhD, MMed, etc) conducting the relevant research project(s). Principal Investigators can apply for funds to support multiple students’ projects in one application but are limited to one application per Principal Investigator.
• In the case of requests for a stipend contribution for the postgraduate student, a clear justification as to why the student has been unable to obtain sufficient funding for 2022 must be provided.

  Submission Process:

Research Stimulus Award:

The award is aimed at supporting interdisciplinary and/or translational research in the FHS that stimulates novel research areas, enabling work that would generate data to support further grant applications. Support is provided in the form of funding for a research project to be conducted by at least 2 researchers from different departments. Collaborations between researchers/groups that have not worked together before will be prioritised.

   Funding:

• A maximum award of up to R250,000 
• Awards to be paid out in one tranche and spent over a period of up to 2 years.

  Eligibility:

• Applications to be made by researchers from more than one department within the FHS or University with thePrincipal Investigator’s (PI) appointment being within the FHS
• Applicants and co-applicants (maximum 3 co-applicants) to:
  - Hold a PhD or MBChB/Allied Health Professional degree
  - Have at least 5 years of research experience, after obtaining their PhD or health professional degree
  - Be employed as a permanent staff member or on a T2 contract for the period of the award (up to at least November 2026)

  Submission Process: