Swiss-South Africa Joint Research Programme: 12 projects approved
Within the scope of the Swiss-South Africa Joint Research Programme (SSAJRP), 89 applications were received by the end of May 2016. Twelve of them were awarded a grant.
The State Secretariat for Research, Education and Innovation (SERI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in South Africa commissioned the SNSF and its South African partner organisation, the National Research Foundation (NRF), to launch a combined call for Joint Research Projects (JRPs). JRPs enable researchers in Switzerland and in South Africa to engage in collaborative research. Most of the projects will run for four years and the grants will cover similar costs as those covered for national SNSF projects (research funds, salaries, etc.).
Joint evaluation
The 89 submitted applications were jointly evaluated by the SNSF and the NRF. Both organisations nominated international experts as members of the evaluation panel. The 12 projects to be funded concern the following thematic areas:
- Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being: from new tools to systems understanding
- Sustainability, focusing on the following fields: Environmental Sciences, Engineering and energy-related issues
- Social sciences and humanities (including law) in the context of current and coming societal challenges
- Methodologies and technologies for data intensive applications
The SNSF will cover the costs of approx. CHF 4 million for the Swiss part of the research and the NRF will finance the research work conducted in South Africa.