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Research Grants

The Centre announces their open and upcoming Research Grant Funding Calls on this webpage. Conditions of the grants are outlined below and/or in the attached application e-forms and the required supporting documentation.

DSTI-NRF CoE-MaSS Call for Applications:
Ad-Hoc Grants for Research Projects and Events for
Historically Disadvantaged Institutions,
Universities of Technology and Emerging Institutions

Important notes:

Grants are valid for events and projects undertaken until December 2026.

Principal Investigators / applicants must be employed full-time at any of the Centre’s Historically Disadvantaged Institutions, Universities of Technology and Emerging Institutions*. Events and projects that include collaborators from Historically Advantaged Institution (HAI) are also welcome, but the Principal Investigator cannot be at an HAI.

Outputs for events and projects (to academic and public audiences) must be clearly defined. Events and projects that include community engagement, science communication and research impact activities will be looked upon favourably.

We will acknowledge receipt of all applications – please contact us if you have not received acknowledgement within three working days of submitting your application.

Applications will be assessed and are subject to budget availability and successful review.

You may only apply for ONE GRANT – either an Event Grant or a Research Project Grant.

Call opens: 18 February 2026
Call closes: 25 March 2026

Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by 08 May 2026.

The Centre does not fund the following:

· Article processing charges (APCs) – please follow your Institution’s processes for details

· Scholarships – please apply for funding via the NRF Scholarship process

· Per diem stipends – please contact the relevant host entity/institution to cover these

· OUTGOING INTERNATIONAL travel is NOT funded

· Funding for equipment will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Laptops and notebooks are not funded.

Event grants:

· Max R100k/grant – hosting of conferences, training workshops, research retreats, capacity development, local/regional/global competitions, or for school/community interventions, etc.

· Valid for events undertaken until 31 December 2026.

· Applications must address at least one (or more) of the Centre’s KPAs, namely: Research, Training, Information Brokerage, Service Rendering, Networking.

· Beneficiaries of these funds must be clearly defined (including postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers).

· Applications must be led by Principal Applicants employed full-time at one of the Centre’s Historically Disadvantaged Institutions, Universities of Technology or Emerging Institutions * and fall within one (or more) of the Centre’s 13 Focus Areas.

· Collaborators can be employed at any higher education institution.

· On the application form, you will be required to given full details of the event, beneficiaries, expected academic outputs, the impact the event will have, as well as the budget (submitted on the correct budget template).

· HOW TO APPLY: The online application form can be accessed here, and the event budget template must be must be downloaded here and then attached as part of the application process.

Project grants:

· Max R100k/grant – academic research projects (e.g. project running costs, additional project staffing capacity such as research assistants; excludes existing staff salaries / postdoctoral fellowship awards).

· Valid for events undertaken until 31 December 2026.

· Applications must address at least one (or more) of the Centre’s KPAs, namely: Research, Training, Information Brokerage, Service Rendering, Networking.

· Beneficiaries of these funds must be clearly defined (including researchers, postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows, etc.).

· Collaborators can be employed at any higher education institution.

· On the application form, you will be required to give full details of the research project, problem statement, background literature, aims and objectives, project methodology, beneficiaries, expected academic outputs, the impact the event will have, as well as the budget (submitted on the correct budget template).

· HOW TO APPLY: The online application form can be accessed here, and the research project budget template must be downloaded from here, completed and then attached as part of the application process

* Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Cape University of Technology (CUT), Durban University of Technology (DUT), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), Sol Plaatje University (SPU), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Fort Hare (UFH), University of Limpopo (UL), University of Venda (UniVen), University of Zululand (UniZulu), University of the Western Cape (UWC), Walter Sisulu University (WSU).

Post-Event Reports

If you are a recipient of a research or event grant from the CoE-MaSS, please find the post-event report template for reporting below:

TEMPLATE CoE-MaSS Post-Event or Project Report

Funding information

Who is eligible?

The DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (CoE-MaSS) receives funding from the national Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), through the National Research Foundation (NRF). This funding is awarded for various projects across all of the Nodes that make up the CoE-MaSS.

The Centre currently funds Postgraduate Scholarships, Post-Doctoral Fellowships, Conferences, Workshops, and other Training events, Writing Retreats, MaSS Staff Capacity Development, etc. provided that the activities fall within one of the CoE-MaSS Focus Areas.

What do we fund?

The Centre reports to the DSI-NRF on 5 Key Performance Areas (KPAs) namely:

Research (incl. publications, writing retreats to train emerging researchers to develop publications, specific research projects addressing CoE-MaSS priorities, collaborative research projects, etc.)
Education and Training (incl. accredited short course training, non-accredited workshops and symposia, MaSS staff capacity development, etc.)
Service rendering (incl. community engagement activities, academic citizenship in MaSS fields, etc.)
Information brokerage (incl. science communication, technical reports for industry partners, etc.)
Networking

As such, applications for funding must cover requests for funding in one or more of these areas. The Centre highlights that research outputs and leveraged funding (co-funding for activities obtained from other sources, e.g. your Dept/Faculty/University Research Office, industry, government, philanthropies, etc.) are additional key factors considered in determining funding application success.

Organisers of events (conferences, workshops, training activities, etc.) are reminded that the CoE-MaSS is funded by South African taxpayer funds and, as such, we have a mandate to focus on developing South African citizens and permanents residents working in the MaSS fields in the first instance. As such, the Centre funds all nationalities at our events but with the following proviso:

Keynote/plenary attendance: At least 50% of CoE-MaSS-funded invited plenaries/keynotes at an event must be South African citizens or permanent residents, as it is important that we develop senior keynote/plenary capacity in this area within the country. Should an event have an excess of this ratio of international keynotes in attendance, the balance of international delegates outside of the 50:50 ratio would need to be funded from alternative funding sources, unless a special arrangement is made at the time of funding application for where there are extenuating circumstances (e.g. the keynotes at a conference are mandated/constituted to be international, but they would be willing to stay on before/after the conference to support South African MaSS researchers with additional activities, such as workshops/training events/mentoring/etc.).
Next-generation mathematical scientists (PhD holders who are under the age of 40 or completed their PhDs within the last seven years): At least 75% of all CoE-MaSS-funded postgrads/postdocs must be South African citizens or permanent residents. Should an event have an excess of international postgrads/postdocs in attendance over and above this 3:1-minimum ratio, the balance of these international delegates would need to be funded from alternative funding streams. It would be the responsibility of the Local Organising Committee / delegates to source any alternative funds required.