The South Africa–Sweden University Forum (SASUF) and South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) offer seed funding for new research partnerships involving Sweden, South Africa and another eligible African country. Official programme details.
Consortium and geography
Each team needs a Swedish SASUF university, a South African SASUF university and a university in one of these countries: Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe. Swedish and South African principal investigators need PhDs; co-applicants do not.
One proposal is allowed per consortium, and each researcher may lead only one. Former beneficiaries may apply for a genuinely new project. Themes cover health, green transition, migration/urbanisation, and democracy/social justice/Indigenous knowledge.
What funding covers
Per-project ceilings are SEK100,000 from SASUF and R160,000 from NRF, for up to 20 consortia. Projects run for 16 months from March 2027. Eligible activities include exchanges, research travel and collaborative events. Scholarships, salaries, large equipment, consultancy and management fees are excluded. Private universities must demonstrate nonprofit use and suitable financial governance.
Two matching applications
The South African lead submits through NRF Connect; the Swedish lead emails the completed consortium form and attachments to sasuf@uu.se. Both versions must agree on the partnership, project, work plan and budgets.
Include each partner’s CV (maximum two pages), signed institutional support for both leads, the African partner’s commitment letter, project plan and detailed budget. Include external-partner participation letters where applicable.
Applicant deadline: 3 November 2026. South African designated authorities have until 10 November to forward applications. No clock time or timezone is stated; the later date does not extend the applicant deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a personal scholarship? No. Funding belongs to the approved consortium project.
How can a team avoid mismatched submissions? Use one agreed master plan and budget, then compare the two final versions before either lead submits. Ask the research office about internal review time immediately.
Independent opportunity summary. This publisher is not the recruiting organisation or funder, does not select applicants and cannot guarantee an award. Apply through the official routes and check current terms before submitting.
