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

South Africa
Research Collaboration

The SASUF–NRF Seed Grants fund 2‑year collaborative research projects that link academia, industry and society in South Africa and Sweden, with a strong focus on real‑world impact and researcher mobility.

The SASUF–NRF Seed Grants are part of the SASUF+ (2025–2028) phase and are implemented jointly by the South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF) and South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF). The programme supports interdisciplinary, cross-country consortia working across four priority themes:

  • Sustainable Health
  • Green Transition
  • Migration and Urbanisation
  • Democracy, Social Justice, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems​

Grants are intended to:

  • Advance basic and applied research in both countries through mobility and joint projects.
  • Provide opportunities for next‑generation and emerging researchers to build careers in an international setting.
  • Strengthen research capacity development, collaboration with societal actors, and long‑term partnerships between South African and Swedish institutions.

Projects run for up to 2 years, starting from 1 September 2026 and ending by 1 July 2028, with scientific and financial reporting required by 31 July 2028.​

Eligible countries and institutions

This call is bilateral and restricted to SASUF partner institutions:

  • Eligible countries:
    • South Africa – researchers must be based at a South African SASUF partner university.
    • Sweden – researchers must be based at a Swedish SASUF partner university.
  • All applicants must be based at SASUF partner universities (see full list at https://www.sasuf.org/partneruniversities).[4]​
  • Each proposal must include at least:
    • Two (2) South African universities, and
    • Two (2) Swedish universities, and
    • At least one external partner: either
      • one South African organisation/industry partner/NGO, or
      • one Swedish organisation or industry partner.​

This means a consortium must have a minimum of five members (4 universities + 1 external partner), with one Principal Investigator (PI) in South Africa and one PI in Sweden.​

Who can apply & consortium requirements

Principal Investigators (PIs):

  • Must be based at SASUF partner universities (one in South Africa, one in Sweden).
  • Must hold a PhD.
  • Are responsible for technical and administrative coordination, and for timely scientific and financial reporting.​

Co‑PIs and partners:

  • Additional researchers from SASUF universities in South Africa and Sweden may join if their role adds clear value.
  • Researchers from SMEs, municipalities, NGOs, NPOs and private companies cannot serve as PIs but can be consortium partners, with clearly defined roles.​
  • These external partners must generally cover their own costs from the NRF side; however, Swedish (SASUF) funds may support them where appropriate.​

Participation limits and previous beneficiaries:

  • Each consortium may submit only one proposal.
  • A researcher may be PI on only one proposal.
  • Former SASUF beneficiaries may apply, but the new project may not be a simple continuation of a previous project.​

Projects are expected to promote gender equality, involve early‑ and mid‑career researchers, strengthen historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs) in South Africa, and support inclusive participation and long‑term partnership building.​

Thematic scope and eligible activities

Projects must address at least one of the four core themes:​

  • Sustainable Health
  • Green Transition
  • Migration and Urbanisation
  • Democracy, Social Justice, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Supported capacity‑building and collaboration activities can include:​

  • Postgraduate student exchanges.
  • General research‑related mobility between South Africa and Sweden.
  • Joint workshops, seminars, conferences and symposia.
  • Lecture presentations and academic visits.
  • Meetings and local/regional dissemination activities that involve stakeholders and end‑users beyond the consortium.

Not funded:​

  • Consultant fees.
  • Project management fees.
  • Educational expenses such as scholarships or bursaries.
  • Large equipment purchases.
  • Salaries and temporary staff fees.

Funding size and regulations

  • Maximum funding per consortium:
    • Up to 100 000 SEK (SASUF share – Swedish side), and
    • Up to 160 000 ZAR (NRF share – South African side).
  • Funding is available for a maximum of 2 years, for activities starting September 2026.
  • Up to 20 consortia projects will be supported under this call.

Disbursement:

  • The NRF portion is paid to the South African PI after signing the Conditions of Grant (CoG).
  • The SASUF portion is allocated to the Swedish PI.
  • Universities are encouraged to leverage additional funding (financial or in‑kind), particularly from industry and other partners, and must indicate this clearly in the budget.

Call timeline

  • Launch of the call: Monday, 16 March 2026
  • Application deadline (all applicants): Wednesday, 10 June 2026
  • Deadline for Designated Authorities (DAs – South Africa only): Friday, 18 June 2026
  • Screening and peer review: June–July 2026
  • Decisions, awards and contract signing: August 2026
  • Project start: 1 September 2026
  • Project end: 1 July 2028
  • Progress / final reporting deadline: 31 July 2028​

Note: Funders may adjust dates to align with national academic/financial calendars.​

Application and review process

South African PI:

  • Must submit the full consortium proposal via NRF Connect: https://nrfconnect.nrf.ac.za.
  • Must follow the General Application Guide 2026 (available on the NRF calls page).​
  • Must upload required PDF documents in order, including:
    • CVs of all consortium partners.
    • Institutional support letter (Dean/HoD/Director) – South Africa.
    • Institutional support letter for the Swedish PI.
    • Letters from industry and civil society partners, outlining roles and responsibilities.
    • Detailed project plan / activity schedule.
    • Detailed budgets for both South African and Swedish PIs.
  • Missing compulsory documents will make the entire consortium ineligible.​

Swedish PI:

  • Submits the proposal via email to: sasuf@uu.se.
  • A call guideline and template for the consortium proposal will be provided when the call opens.​

Evaluation:

  • Proposals are peer‑reviewed by national experts in each country, using criteria such as:
    • Scientific quality of the joint research.
    • Feasibility and plans for sustained cooperation between South Africa and Sweden.
    • Human capacity development and benefits for emerging researchers and students.
  • Final funding decisions are taken by a joint award committee (SASUF Steering Committee + NRF). Results are expected around July 2026.​

Reporting and contacts

Principal Investigators must submit scientific and financial reports as a condition of funding, including a final joint report no later than 3 months after project end, detailing outputs against objectives and acknowledging support from SASUF and NRF in publications.​

Contact points:​

Click HERE to visit the official website

Closing date
Industry
Professional, scientific and technical activities
​Other service activities
Website link
https://www.sasuf.org/sasuf-nrf-seed-grants-for-collaborative-research