Updated: Update to Science & Innovation priorities
Issue
Science and innovation are at the heart of government strategy for promoting prosperity and growth. Research and knowledge is increasingly developed and transferred through international collaboration which provides opportunities to work with the best in the world, exchange students and researchers, and gain access to large scale international facilities; leading to mutual benefits for the UK and South Africa. The UK-South Africa Newton Fund is our flagship joint partnership with South Africa to deliver much of this work, working to promote economic development and social welfare through research and innovation.
Actions
The UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN) is based in 28 countries around the world, including South Africa. Our team in Pretoria and Cape Town is responsible for: influencing science and innovation policies of South African government, industry and academia to benefit the UK; improving UK policy based on South African experience and emerging opportunities with South Africa; stimulating strategic science collaborations with South Africa to benefit the UK and deliver wider policy goals; and harnessing South African international technology partnerships and investment to grow UK innovation capability.
The Newton Fund
The Newton Fund is part of the UK’s official development assistance. Its aim is to develop science and innovation partnerships that promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries. The global fund is £75 million per year from 2014 for five years.
The fund covers three broad categories of activity:
People: improving science and innovation expertise (known as ‘capacity building’), student and researcher fellowships, mobility schemes and joint centres;
Programmes: research collaborations on development topics;
Translation: innovation partnerships and challenge funds to develop innovative solutions on development topics
In September 2014 the UK and South Africa formally launched the UK-SA Newton Fund, jointly committing up to £8 million per year.
The UK-SA programme focuses on research calls, workshops, fellowships, and mobility schemes around the thematic areas of science and technology capacity building, public health, environment and food security, with the ultimate aim of encouraging research that increases jobs and economic growth.
On the UK side, the Newton Fund is administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. On the South African side, the Department of Science and Technology is the lead agency.
UK-SA Newton Fund programme activities are managed by a core group of UK and South African Delivery Partners. They allocate all funding through competitive bidding processes which will be open to all interested parties and assessed against set criteria.
Opportunities
Calls for applications will be opened at different times according to the programme area. Opportunities will be advertised here, through Delivery Partners, and via the Newton Fund webpage. Updates about the #NewtonFund will be available on Twitter and additional information on UK-South Africa Newton Fund opportunities is available on the UK HE International Unit website.
Please see below for all current and previous research calls involving South Africa:
Call name
SA delivery partner
UK delivery partner
Call open
Call closes
South African Research Chairs Initiative - UK-SA Bilateral Chairs
NRF
British Council
3 February 2015
31 March 2015
Newton International Fellowships
NRF
British Academy, Royal Society, Academy of Medical Science
15 January 2015
25 February 2015
Newton Mobility Grants
NRF
Royal Society
16 January 2015
19 February 2015
Notice of Intent: South African Research Chairs Initiative
NRF
British Council,
11 December 2014
15 January 2015
Institutional Links
TIA
British Council
3 November 2014
4 December 2014
Radio Astronomy Human Capital Development
NRF, SKA Office
STFC
7 November 2014
1 December 2014
Researcher Links
NRF
British Council
24 October 2014
30 November 2014
Newton Research Collaboration Programme
NRF
Royal Academy of Engineering
17 September 2014
24 October 2014
Newton Mobility Grants
NRF
British Academy, Royal Society
17 September 2014
22 October 2014
Newton Advanced Fellowships
NRF
British Academy, Royal Society, Academy of Medical Science
17 September 2014
22 October 2014
South Africa Newton Fund Contact Details
Please contact us if you wish to be added to our mailing list and receive South Africa Newton Fund updates by email.
Laura Harris
British High Commission
255 Hill Street
Arcadia
Pretoria
Email: Newton.SouthAfrica@fco.gov.uk
Office: +27 12 421 7576
South Africa: Science and Innovation country background
The UK’s S&I footprint in SA is considerable and growing. We have a formal bilateral Science and Technology Agreement (since 1995) and a rich array of partnerships between our academics and researchers, both at individual and institution level. SA is the fifth most successful country in accessing EU Framework Programme (FP7) research funding, partnering in these with the UK more than any other country. The UK and SA have agreed that shared S&I priority focus areas are health research; astronomy and space; biosciences; and climate change. We accept targeted bids for projects directly relating to these priority areas annually. The two main UK government instruments for this are the Prosperity Fund and the Global Partnerships Fund. Both open for bids each April.
Beyond our main bilateral S&I programme the UK/South Africa Newton Fund, a range of UK government departments work with SA to further science and innovation collaboration. While this is primarily through the UK Science and Innovation Network presence in Pretoria and Cape Town, the Department for International Development’s Research and Evidence Division funds a range of shared multi-million pound research projects including South and southern Africa. With UK Trade and Investment, we work to harness international technology partnerships and investment to grow UK innovation capability. And the British Council funds a range of relevant science and education-focussed activities, such as researcher mobility schemes.
Key science and innovation accomplishments in 2014
Launching our Newton Fund partnership, opening a range of multi-year opportunities encompassing the whole research spectrum – from capacity building and applied research to translational research delivering direct benefits to society.
Implementation of a £200,000 co-funded bilateral Scientific Seminar Scheme, run by the Royal Society and National Research Foundation, with 13 joint seminars in 2014.
Working closely with the UK Bloodhound Supersonic Car team, to boost attention and UK/SA links with the world landspeed record in SA in 2015/16. We used the Prosperity Fund to help deliver a full assize interactive GREAT-branded model of the car for use at key UK/SA events, such as National Science Festivals.
With SIN India, we hosted a joint workshop to position the UK to meet increasing demand for cleaner and more sustainable biofuels. The event developed South-South opportunities; established a new working group between Brazilian, Indian and Southern African researchers and highlighted commercial opportunities.
Science and Innovation Network Contact Details
Tim Moody
British High Commission
255 Hill Street
Arcadia
Pretoria
Email: Tim.Moody@fco.gov.uk
Office: +27 12 421 2573
Science and Innovation Network
Richard Atkinson
British Consulate-General
15th Floor, Norton Rose House, 8 Riebeek Street
Foreshore
Cape Town
Email: Richard Atkinson@fco.gov.uk
Office: +27 21 405 2421
Twitter link: @UKinSouthAfrica