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Research Dashboard
Research Funding
Funding through research
contracts
R
esearch contracts to the value of R682 million were
processed in 2012. These contracts vary from short-
term contracts to multiyear contracts with multi-million-
rand budgets, involving both local and international
funders. In 2012, 1 218 contracts were signed.
Research contracts to the value of R90.26 million
were entered into with South African government
departments, public enterprises and statutory bodies
in 2012. South African science councils, national
research centres and non-profit entities accounted for
R48.5 million, of signed contracts, whereas contracts
with South African industry were valued at R111.4 million.
Major South African industry partners include the Eskom
Group, Anglo Group, Old Mutual, Rustenburg Platinum
Mines, and the Sasol Group.
At an international level, 572 contracts to the value of
R431 million were entered into with entities from
48 countries. The major source of foreign funding is
the USA (R211.8 million), followed by the United
Kingdom (R82.6 million), Canada (R35.6 million), Belgium
(R23.5 million), and the Netherlands (R22.5 million).
The most prominent funder of research in 2012 was
the National Institutes of Health, and contracts to
the value of R73.3 million were, directly or indirectly
(through collaboration with USA universities), entered
into. Contributions through the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation amounted to R40.7 million and the Aeras
Global TB Vaccine Foundation contributed R37.4 million.
The Medical Research Council, with contracts to the
value of R28.8 million, was the major United Kingdom
contributor, followed by the Wellcome Trust (R24.5 million).
Contracts to the value of R21.6 million and R19 million were
UCT’s vision for the development of research recognises the importance of
focusing our efforts and resources in selected areas, in order to take the quality
and impact of our research to the next level. The DST/NRF Centres of Excellence
and Competence Centres, the South African Research Chairs Initiative, and UCT’s
Signature Themes for research and university-accredited research groupings
provide frameworks to achieve this goal. Our research is made possible through
generous donations, scholarships and fellowships, and through research contracts
and grants from national and international funding agencies.
respectively entered into with the European Commission
and the European and Developing Countries Clinical
Trials Partnership, which operates from the Netherlands.
Canada’s main contributor was the International
Development Research Centre, with contracts to the value
of R17.4 million.
National agency funding
through research grants
The
National Research Foundation
(NRF) remains a
significant funder of research at UCT. In 2012, the total
grants awarded from the NRF declined to R208 million, with
766 grants at an average grant size of R271,540, compared
to R224 million in 2011, with 848 grants, at an average grant
size of R264,150. These amounts include carried forward
grant awards from 2011 as well as the actual grant awards
for 2012. The decline in 2012 can be attributed to many
factors, including budget constraints and policy changes in
the NRF’s funding landscape and priorities.
Figure 1
shows
the percentage of NRF grant awards to UCT in 2011 and
2012 by funding purpose.
Established researchers
The majority (55%) of the NRF funding support to
UCT in 2012 was allocated to supporting established
researchers across all knowledge areas and disciplines,
through the Competitive Programmes for Rated and
Unrated researchers (R19.3 million), Incentive Funding
for Rated Researchers (R18.9 million), and the South
African Research Chairs Initiative (R76.4 million for the
DST/NRF Chairs).
National and strategic priorities
Fifteen percent (R30.7 million) of NRF funds awarded
to UCT in 2012 was to support research on national
and strategic priorities. The bulk of this funding is ring-
fenced by the Department of Science and Technology to
support their Research and Development Strategy and