Funding priorities
Capacity Building
Developing the Next Generation of Researchers
Researcher Development Programmes
As a 'research-led' university, UCT accepts the obligation of being one of the core sites in Africa that aims to make the country competitive in the global knowledge economy and to educate its future leaders. However, to achieve this goal, the university must provide its researchers with the most appropriate forms of support, to enable them to produce at an optimal level. UCT offers a number of capacity-building initiatives designed to support researchers at emerging, established (mid-career) and advanced stages of their academic careers. The Emerging Researcher Programme (ERP) provides research development grants, seminars, workshops, consultations and other mentoring activities to young researchers and academics, with the aim of developing their research profiles. The Project for Enhancement of Research Capacity (PERC) supports mid-career academics who have progressed through the ERP and require ongoing structured support for their research. The support includes seminars and workshops on appropriate topics and individual meetings with current and retired senior academics. In addition, the university provides support to established researchers who drive large strategic projects (for example, participation in European Union Framework grants and the National Institutes of Health). The continued success of these researcher development programmes relies on donor funding to supplement that which the university and the government's skills levy are unable to provide. The grants aspect of these programmes will not be sustainable once the Carnegie Corporation funds come to an end in December 2011. The total budget for these programmes is R17,3 million over three years.
Universities Science, Humanities, Law and Engineering Partnerships in Africa
As many gifted, young academics are continually lured away from the continent, a great need exists to address the brain drain that compromises Africa's development. The University's Science, Humanities, Law and Engineering Partnerships in Africa (USHEPiA) are a response to this crisis, built on a partnership of eight universities in the central, eastern and southern region of the continent. Having been in existence for 17 years, USHEPiA promotes collaboration among African universities with a view to addressing the staffing capacity needs of these institutions. The model for co-operation is the split-site training of Masters and Doctoral students with joint supervision by their home university and an away university that is selected by the applicant. To date, the programme has obtained funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Carnegie Corporation and Rockefeller Foundation. The programme needs your added support to sustain this initiative. Your contribution will help secure future funding for full degree fellowships, as well as small grants to enable fellows to continue their research once they return to their home countries.
African Paediatric Fellowships
Africa has the highest Infant Mortality Rate in the world. One of the major causes is poor healthcare, a challenge that is being boldly tackled by UCT's School of Child and Adolescent Health. With access to the facilities of Africa's largest and most successful hospital for children, the Red Cross Children's Hospital, the School has established The African Paediatric Fellowships initiative. Its goal is to transfer specialised skills to child health care professionals elsewhere in South Africa and Africa. Through the establishment of several fellowships, the programme is creating opportunities for practitioners from rural South Africa and the rest of Africa to gain fundamental training in specifically focussed paediatrics at Red Cross Children's Hospital. At the same time it seeks to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Hospital through the acquisition of additional special skills, administrative support and the provision of teaching and training space. Your investment in this project could help fund these vital capacity-building fellowships, valued at R200,000 each.
Centre for Public Mental Health
In developing countries, depression is ranked as the seventh biggest health burden but too often health services in these countries do not give adequate priority to mental health. 70% of African countries spend less than 1% of their health budget on mental health. Despite the fact that mental health disorders cause staggering economic and social costs, and that it is a crucial public health and development issue, this remains a poorly funded and largely misunderstood area of the public health system in South Africa. The Centre for Public Mental Health (CPMH), a joint initiative of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UCT and the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University, has been established as an inter-disciplinary, academic research and teaching centre for mental health. It focuses its work on mental health promotion and service development in Africa. The Centre is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is the base for a recently established research consortium led by UCT, namely the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME). It is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID UK) and its partners are in Ethiopia, India, Nepal, South Africa, and Uganda, together with WHO Geneva and the Centre for Global Mental Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London.
In furthering the study of mental health needs and championing its cause, the Centre is currently developing a set of academic programmes: a Postgraduate Diploma and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Public Mental Health, accompanied by independent short courses. The Centre is also in the process of putting together an advanced research agenda and a record of their advocacy functions.
| The total budget for these programmes is R17,3 million over 3 years. |
| Your investment could help fund these vital capacity-building fellowships, valued at R200 000 each. |