Applications for internal research funding require endorsement or recommendations from your head of department (HoD) and possibly a departmental/faculty representative. Plan ahead and inform your HoD of your intention to apply.

Follow up with the necessary parties to ensure timely endorsements, as late applications will not be accepted.

Identify and plan for these specific internal deadlines, as late applications will not be accepted. Typically, the following deadlines apply:

• Faculty deadline: Applications must reach the faculty for review by this date.
• Research Office deadline: Reviewed and endorsed applications need to reach the servicing officer by this date.
• Review deadline: The selection committee must finalise the list of recommended applicants by this date.
• Outcome deadline: Applicants must receive the outcome of their application by this date.

 Note: Internal deadlines (where applicable) are included on the funding call. University Equipment Committee (UEC) and Advanced Computing Committee (ACC) calls always have internal deadlines.

Carefully review the call opportunity and call-specific guidelines. Identify the elements required for your application. These will vary based on the funding source or administering faculty.

If the assessment criteria are available, review them to identify the key areas that are prioritised, allowing you to focus your application effectively.

Check if approval via UCT’s electronic Research Administration (eRA) system is required. If approval is required, familiarise yourself with the process. 

Identify, note and plan for internal UCT deadlines related to the business and technical components of your proposal. Adhering to these deadlines is crucial for receiving institutional approval for your proposal. They are set in relation to the funder’s deadline and allow for a thorough internal review, leaving enough time for you to make any necessary amendments. 

Failure to adhere to the internal deadlines could result in your application not being submitted.

UCT deadlines are as follows:  

• 12 weeks before funder deadline: submit proposal development support requests (if applicable)
• 6 weeks before funder deadline: alert budget reviewers of your intent to submit a proposal (required)
• 4 weeks before funder deadline: submit draft budgets to budget reviewers via UCT eRA (required)
• 5 working days before funder deadline: UCT eRA submission must reach the finance approver step (required)

Note: There are additional deadlines to consider if your proposal must also be approved by UCT Research Contracts and Innovation (RC&I). Typical proposals requiring RC&I submission include:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR)
• United Kingdom Research Institution (UKRI)
• SAMRC-SIR: South African Medical Research Council-Self-Initiated Research grants
• Wellcome

UCT deadlines for proposals that need to be approved and/or submitted by RC&I:  

• 10 working days before funder deadline: UCT eRA submission must reach the finance approver step (required)
• 5 working days before funder deadline: submit proposal to RC&I (case-specific)

Note: If you are a sub-awardee, take note of the deadlines for submission as required by the lead institution, as these will differ from UCT’s internal deadlines and the funder deadline.

Note: To prevent delays, get access to the funder’s systems early in your proposal development timeline.

Read the call for funding and its specific guidelines carefully. Identify the technical and business elements that need to be submitted as part of your research proposal. Requirements will vary depending on the source of funding or the funder.

Funders also have general policies and guidelines that must be followed. Download, review, and adhere to these guidelines. Use the correct funder-specific templates and pay attention to funder notifications on any changes to proposal requirements.

Familiarise yourself with the budget requirements from both the funder and UCT: 

• What is allowable in terms of the grant, e.g. for salaries, student support, travel, equipment?
• Does the funder require a breakdown per cost category?
• Does the funder have a specific budget template that must be used?
• Have you included the maximum allowable indirect costs? 

Note: A common mistake is that researchers do not include the maximum allowable indirect costs – avoid this pitfall!

Each project must have an identified principal investigator (PI) who takes primary responsibility for the contract, fund management, and grant reporting. The PI must be a registered UCT staff member. Postdoctoral research fellows cannot serve as PIs. Projects can also include co-principal investigators who share equal responsibility and leadership with the PI, as well as co-investigators who contribute materially to the research project outcomes.

UCT’s electronic Research Administration (eRA) system requires you to identify a PI as the administrative lead from UCT and allows you to tag additional co-investigators or co-principal investigators as needed.

  Note: Only the PI will have access to the UCT eRA approval.

The resources needed for your research project can range from a single PI to a multidisciplinary team with administrative support. Assess your staffing needs early and thoroughly to budget accurately for their time, identify the required skill sets and allow enough time to secure the required resources.

Note: Consult the call document for any restrictions before budgeting for staff on your research project.

Adequate research infrastructure is crucial for conducting high-quality and impactful research. Consider what infrastructure you need, how long you will require it for, and whether you have access to it or need to purchase/rent it and include these costs in your proposal budget.

Infrastructure can include:

• Lab space
• Office space
• Storage or sample storage
• Research equipment
• Computational IT/infrastructure 

This information is logged via UCT eRA on the tab “Resourcing, ethics, and biosafety”.

The world of research has changed and with the rise of big data and artificial intelligence, your research project will now rely more than ever on information and communication technology (ICT) for functions such as:

• Data management
• Computing and high-performance computing
• Software
• Hardware
• Storage and backup
• Collaboration and communication
• Data dissemination and publishing
• Cybersecurity and privacy

This landscape can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate, but various UCT support services are available to assist you in interpreting your requirements and accessing the required resources.

At the proposal development stage you need to consider your ICT and eResearch needs to ensure they are accurately costed and included in your budget. For assistance, visit the UCT eResearch website and log an eResearch request via the UCT ServiceNow portal.

UCT eResearch is a partnership between UCT ICTS, UCT Libraries and the Research Office and they will connect you to the appropriate support services throughout the research project lifecycle. For contact details, see UCT eResearch.

A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a document that outlines how you will manage, store and organise your research data throughout your project and after it is completed. It helps ensure your data is well-documented, accessible and preserved for future use. A DMP is a living document that should evolve as your project progresses.

Many funding bodies and publishers encourage or even mandate the submission of a DMP and at UCT it is a requirement for all researchers and postgraduate students to submit a DMP as part of their research process. 

A solid DMP addresses key areas like the below, helping you manage your data efficiently and in compliance with regulations:

• Data collection
• Storage
• Ethics
• Security
• Sharing
• Long-term preservation

A DMP will need to be prepared and submitted as part of your research proposal. Check whether your funder has a specific DMP template or requirements for submission.

UCT Digital Library Services (DLS) provide:

• Assistance and training in developing a DMP: Watch the webinar Creating a Data Management Plan with UCT DMP (2024), part of the UCT DLS Digital Scholar Series.
• Guidelines on specific funder DMP requirements, see Funder guidelines (UCT DLS) and Overview of funders’ data policies of the Digital Curation Centre.

For assistance, email Digital Library Services.

UCT requires prior ethics review and approval for all research involving human participants and/or their data or biological samples, according to faculty guidelines, before commencement of any research activity.

You don't need full ethical approval before submitting your proposal, but you must determine if your project requires ethical approval and at what level. You should also have started the approval process.

See also our Ethics page for more information.

A clinical trial is a research study that assigns human participants or groups to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate their effects on health outcomes and assess safety and efficacy.

All clinical research must follow the SA Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines and obtain approval from the UCT Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). Be sure to budget for clinical staff such as medical doctors, nurses or pharmacists to conduct the research. If the study involves an intervention, such as drug, device, supplement or counselling, it requires approval from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), so plan accordingly.

Additionally, plan for follow-up visits, including safety blood tests, where applicable, to monitor participant safety, even if it is not your primary outcome.

For assistance with clinical trials, engage with the UCT Clinical Research Centre, which has a research ward, pharmacy and processing laboratory that comply with regulatory requirements.

UCT requires prior review and approval by an animal ethics committee for any research involving animals by any UCT researcher, including those publishing under UCT’s name and for any other person conducting animal research at UCT.

For information on the animal ethics of individual faculties, see these links: 

• Faculty of Health Sciences: Animal Research Ethics
• Faculty of Science: Animal Ethics

UCT is committed to the safe handling and containment of potentially hazardous biological agents to prevent harm to human health and the environment.

Laboratory-based research using human biological materials such as tissues, blood, bodily fluids and research using  potentially hazardous biological agents requires approval from your Faculty Biosafety Committee and, if referred, by the Institutional Biosafety Ethics Committee. 

Assess potential biosafety risks associated with your project and consult the relevant biosafety guidelines. Develop a comprehensive biosafety plan that outlines your safety measures and protocols. Document all biosafety considerations clearly in your proposal and engage with your faculty biosafety committee as required.

For further details see our Biosafety page.

Under a sub-award, the primary recipient transfers its responsibility to perform part of the project to another party. Two types of sub-awards exist:

• Outgoing sub-award: UCT is the primary applicant and there are other institutions/parties who we work with.
• Incoming sub-award: UCT is the sub-awardee, and a primary applicant has transferred part of the project to us.

Outgoing sub-award

Send UCT’s sub-award commitment form to the sub-awardee for completion. Be mindful of the funder-specific requirements for sub-awardees, as it is your responsibility as the primary applicant to secure all necessary documentation.

UCT has developed a standard sub-award commitment form that includes the information typically requested from sub-awardees in outgoing sub-awards. In addition to this, there is a standard sub-awardee commitment letter template, to be used in addition to the formal sub-award documentation, to confirm a collaborating institution’s intent and key commitments at proposal stage.

Sub-Award Commitment Form Sub-Award Commitment Letter (Template)

Note: Work with Research Contracts & Innovation (RC&I) and the relevant International Grants Hub (IGH) or FHS Research Development at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) to confirm and refine the specific requirements for your project and funder. Request this information upfront to ensure your application is submitted on time, and give the sub-awardee sufficient time to gather the required details.

Incoming sub-award

The primary/submitting institution may require an approved document, referred to as a sub-recipient commitment form, FacePage, authorised representative commitment or statement of intent. Inquire about this document upfront with the primary/submitting institution to understand the required information.

For assistance with such document contact:

• International Grants Hub (IGH)
• Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) researchers: FHS Research Development 

This document is part of the UCT’s electronic Research Administration (eRA) pre-awards approval process and needs to be signed by UCT's Research Contracts & Innovation (RC&I) before being uploaded.

A conflict of interest arises when your private interests, such as financial or personal relationships, could interfere with your professional responsibilities or decision-making in your research.

You are required to: 

• Declare any potential conflicts before starting a research project or applying for funding
• Complete necessary training on conflicts of interest and retain supporting documentation
• Familiarise yourself with UCT’s policy and procedures Conflicts of Interest: Principles, Policy and Rules to ensure integrity and objectivity in your work

More information on the topic can be found on our page Conflicts of interest. For assistance, email the Office of Research Integrity (ORI).

You may be required to complete some form of due diligence (DD) as part of your proposal application. This could range from completing and signing a form to submitting an array of documents such as

• UCT policies
• Audit reports and financial records
• Proof of collaborations
• Corporate governance documents

The International Grants Hub (IGH) can help you interpret the due diligence requirements.

Many funders require a plan or strategy for how you will manage intellectual property (IP) or knowledge assets that may arise from your research. This plan should be considered during the proposal development stage and should include details on:

• Protecting results
• Ownership and access rights
• Confidentiality measures
• Commercialisation routes

At UCT, IP is governed by the university’s Intellectual Property Policy. UCT's Research Contracts & Innovation (RC&I) can assist you in developing research results into new processes, services, or products, and in setting up spin-off companies if required. Email RC&I or visit their Intellectual Property page to learn more.

Funders may have specific requirements for support letters outlined in the funding call and call-specific guidelines. Remember that obtaining these letters from individuals or entities can take time, so allow for this step in your timeline.

Note: Support letters in most cases must be requested three weeks before the funder deadline and will only be provided once your proposal and budget have been approved via UCT’s electronic Research Administration (eRA) system.

Common letters of support requested by funders act as proof of:

• Institutional support: support from the lead institution, endorsing the proposed research project or from a co-applicant institution, endorsing their researchers’ participation in the project
• Faculty support: the faculty dean or deputy dean of research endorses the proposed research project
• Departmental support: an academic department agreement to host the proposed research project, usually from the head of the department (HoD)
• Collaborators’ support: confirmation that an individual or organisation agrees to participate in the proposed research project

Institutional letters of support

Institutional letters of support are usually signed by UCT's Vice Chancellor or Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, or by a delegated legal authority within UCT such as the director of UCT's Research Contracts & Innovation (RC&I), the executive director of research, or the Registrar.

Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) researchers can request an institutional letter of support by completing the form below.

FHS Institutional Letter of Support Request Form

If you have questions around letters of support, email

• FHS Research Development – Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) researchers
• International Grants Hub (IGH) – other researchers

Faculty support letters are usually signed by the dean or deputy dean of your faculty.

Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) researchers can request an institutional letter of support by completing the form below.

FHS Institutional Letter of Support Request Form

A departmental letter of support is usually signed by your head of department (HoD). Email your HoD directly to request one.

For a collaborator support letter, liaise with your collaborator directly.

Most funders use CVs to assess the qualifications of the PI and key personnel involved in the research project. Include relevant details on:

• Education and training
• Positions held
• Research support
• Publications
• Relevant honours or other recognition received

Note: Keep your CV up to date and easily accessible for proposal preparation. Use the section “CV Activities” on UCT eRA to prepare and maintain your CV.

Funders generally have CV requirements. For example, NIH applicants can use SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae to ensure their bios conform to NIH requirements. Some UK-based funders require you to tailor your CV to make it relevant to the specific application by including a narrative around your contribution(s) to your research field.

Your existing CV may not be appropriate for your funder’s requirements, so please read the call-specific guidelines upfront and tailor your CV accordingly.

For guidance with CVs, email the International Grants Hub (IGH). Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) researchers can email FHS Research Development.