Funding Resources for Western Cape Aerospace Researchers

This page is designed as a resource for researchers from the Western Cape. Here you can find the different funding agencies pages where calls will be published. Also on this page are opportunities for mobility funding, both incoming and outgoing, funding for training young researchers, and fellowship and scholarship opportunities for PhD and graduate students from Western Cape who want to study in the other RLS regions.

Multilateral Funding for International Projects

ESASTAP 2020  |  European Union and the Department of Science and Technology, South Africa
According to the European Commission, Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.​ EU member states are automatically eligible to compete for funding. 

Non-EU RLS partners can participate in Horizon 2020 either by providing a unique competence that cannot be found in the EU, or through bilateral agreements between their home countries and the European Union. Every RLS member state has these types of agreements. In South Africa, this agreement is called ESASTAP 2020.

ESASTAP 2020, the successor funding scheme to ESASTAP Plus, was launched in February 2016. The funding scheme provides opportunities for EU-South African cooperation in science and technology, with dedicated funding calls.

Find ESASTAP 2020 Calls here.
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Horizon 2020 Seed Funding | European Union and the Department of Science and Technology, South Africa
One of the key challenges potential South African Horizon 2020 participants have to meet is finding partners and financial support to fund international travel to meet and discuss potential Horizon 2020 projects with European partners. Cognisant of the difficulties sometimes posed to South African researchers in joining consortia for Horizon 2020 participation, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) created a "Seed Funding Instrument." Under the Seed Funding Instrument, the DST is able to support the travel costs of South African researchers travelling to Europe to engage with European partners regarding Horizon 2020 collaboration. Alternatively funding can be granted to support the travel of European researchers to South Africa.

Find the Horizon 2020 Seed Funding documents here.
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ACP Science and Technology Programme  |  European Union and the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
The ACP Science and Technology Programme (ACP S&T) is an ACP-EU co-operation programme in the field of science and technology. It is funded by the European Union and implemented by the ACP Secretariat. The main three themes are agriculture, energy, and the environment, but other topics are accepted as well.

Visit the programme website here.

Bilateral Funding for International Projects

South Africa/Austria Joint Scientific and Technological Cooperation  |  Department of Science and Technology (South Africa) and the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (Austria)
(Please note this call has now closed).
The programme for Scientific & Technological Cooperation is carried out in the frame of the bilateral “Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Science and Technology of the Republic of South Africa and the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy of the Republic of Austria on Scientific and Technological Cooperation” and is financed equally by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (BMWFW) and by the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST).

See the call here.

Unilateral Funding for International Projects

National Research Foundation  |  South Africa
The NRF provides support and grants for research, expertise development, education, training, cooperative research, bursaries, national and international scientific liaison, and administers five national research facilities.

See the NRF Calls.