​Other service activities

Applications are now open for the 2026 SAB Foundation Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards, a national funding and business support programme aimed at strengthening early-stage social innovations that address systemic barriers faced by vulnerable and underserved communities in South Africa.

The programme supports entrepreneurs, social enterprises, institutions, and innovators whose products, services, technologies, or business models respond to real socio-economic challenges affecting:

The Northern Cape Innovation Forum (NCIF) is calling for applications for its Innovator of the Month campaign, which recognises individuals and MSMEs with impactful, innovation‑driven ideas or projects in their community or industry. Winners gain visibility across NCIF platforms, automatic access to the RSIP/CSIR Annual Innovation Competition (ARIC/RSIP Regional Innovation Challenge) pipeline, and may become eligible for up to R150 000 in innovation support funding and mentorship through the NCIF Innovation Support and Mentorship Programme.

Eligible countries

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:

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.

The Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) of the Government of Japan is open for Namibia‑based grassroots projects that deliver direct, tangible benefits to vulnerable people and communities. Through the Embassy of Japan in Namibia, the GGP funds small‑scale, community‑level infrastructure and equipment projects implemented by registered NGOs, community organisations, educational and medical institutions, and local authorities, with a maximum grant size of N$ 1,172,405 (approx. USD 66,666) for the 2026 fiscal year and a project period of up to one year.​

The Brücke Le Pont Pilot Project on Labour Rights and Decent Working Conditions in Ghana is a new funding opportunity for a Ghana‑based civil society organisation to design and implement a 12‑month pilot project improving labour rights and working conditions for agricultural workers, with a view to a long‑term (up to 10–12 year) partnership. The initiative focuses on systemic, market‑based change in agricultural value chains, using a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach rather than one‑off service delivery, and offers up to CHF 50,000 (approx.

TÜBİTAK (Türkiye) and CNPq (Brazil) have launched a bilateral research call to fund joint projects that generate new scientific knowledge, innovative interpretations, and solutions to technological challenges in key areas including environment, food and agriculture, health, ICT and physics, with a submission deadline of 4 May 2026.

The Million Lives Collective (MLC) has launched a Call for African Urban Innovations to identify and spotlight impactful, scale‑ready solutions that are shaping smart, healthy, equitable and resilient cities across Sub‑Saharan Africa. The call targets innovators, entrepreneurs and changemakers whose solutions address pressing urban challenges for low‑income residents and have a credible pathway to reach one million or more urban Africans living on less than USD 5.50 per day.