Local AIMday Grants for SASUF Partners (Sweden & South Africa)
The Local AIMday Grants support the organisation of Academic Industry Meeting Days (AIMdays) within the South Africa–Sweden University Forum (SASUF) network. AIMday is a structured dialogue format where researchers meet with industry, government and civil society to discuss concrete, real‑world challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration.
Under this call, SASUF partner universities in Sweden and South Africa can apply for funding to host their own local AIMday, tailored to their regional context, thematic priorities and stakeholder landscape. A local AIMday is used to raise and explore locally relevant challenges, strengthen relationships with external partners, and generate ideas for future projects, initiatives and long‑term collaboration within SASUF+.
Each grant offers up to SEK 45,000 (≈ ZAR 71,000) per event, which can cover meals and catering, venue and meeting costs, planning and coordination, preparatory activities and local travel where needed. The grant is flexible but must clearly support the AIMday’s purpose of structured dialogue and collaboration; applicants must explain how requested funds link to activities and outcomes.
Eligible applicants are researchers or teams at SASUF partner universities, working together with relevant external actors such as companies, public sector bodies or civil society organisations. Proposed AIMdays must align with SASUF’s overall objectives and themes, and should involve active participation from external stakeholders, a clear focus on mutual learning, and a dedicated facilitator or collaboration professional who can bridge perspectives between sectors.
Funded AIMdays are expected to deliver meaningful engagement, documented challenges and opportunities, and identification of follow‑up collaborations or projects, along with reflection on how the AIMday method can be further used in SASUF+. A short activity report is required after the event.
Call window: 16 March – 10 June 2026.
Countries eligible to apply:
- Sweden – SASUF partner universities and their researchers.
- South Africa – SASUF partner universities and their researchers.
Applications (1–2 pages) should be submitted by email to SASUF with details on the AIMday title, organising university, challenges addressed, planned external actors, agenda, timeline, budget and expected outcomes, and will be assessed on relevance, quality, external engagement, feasibility and potential for long‑term collaboration and impact.
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