CSIR CO-OPERATION FUND FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT 1. Background CALL FOR PROPOSALS March 2012 The CSIR has bilateral and multi-lateral strategic research relationships with higher education institutions (HEIs), research institutions, private sector R&D units and research alliances, both in South Africa and internationally. These relationships contribute to building competence in established and emerging research areas, creating opportunities for staff development, and providing access to knowledge and skills that are not available within the CSIR. The CSIR has seed funding to further develop these relationships by initiating joint research projects which will support the CSIR impact strategy. This call for proposals is aimed at strengthening relations with some of the higher education institutions with which the CSIR either has a relationship or seeks to establish one. These institutions, and the areas that are eligible for funding, are identified in Appendix 1. CSIR staff are invited to submit research proposals for funding jointly with researchers from the institutions identified. Up to 10 projects will be supported, each with a maximum grant of R100,000. The involvement of students in the projects is encouraged. Students participating in projects that involve Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town, University of Johannesburg, University of the Western Cape, University of the Witwatersrand and Tshwane University of Technology will receive preference for Honours, Masters and PhD scholarships awarded through the joint CSIR scholarship programmes with these universities. A separate call for applications for the scholarships that will be awarded in 2013 will be made by the respective universities later this year, and will also be advertised internally.
APPENDIX 1: RESEARCH AREAS ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING HEI Health and Nutrition Environment Defence and Security Energy UWC Climate change Direct methanol fuel cell UL TUT Photo dynamic therapy, Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine Lidar Advanced Sensor Networks Areas of Research Collaboration Advanced Built manufacturing environment and mining Materials science and manufacturing Ab initio modelling of titanium and aluminium alloys Materials science and manufacturing Pavement engineering; Advanced Sensor Networks ICT Photonics Nano Advanced Sensor Networks SU Wits Pharmaceuticals Air quality Invasive biology; Resource economics; Environmental assessment; Ground water; Environmental biology Sustainability studies; Climate change Climate change Lidar Water modelling Cyber security awareness Computational mechanics; fluxion Computational mechanics; fluxion; Aeronautics; WT balance technology; Lidar Solar energy measurement; Solar resource assessment and modelling; Mini gas turbines; Coal gasification; Battery technology Materials science and manufacturing, Data mining and artificial Mining safety, Laser-based processing of materials, robotics, earth sciences, occupational health, rock engineering, Logistics; Coastal engineering Human language Image processing and computer vision Coherent control; Ultra high intensity physics, Laser Physics Lidar Photonic materials Polymer nano composites
UCT Photo dynamic imaging; Micro and molecular structures determination; Human cell biology; Recombinant proteins and inhibitors; Synthetic and medicinal chemistry ; Climate change Radar research and applications; Explosive event and impact; intelligent agent software systems. Mini gas turbines mining engineering, physiology Materials science and manufacturing, Laser-based processing of materials, mechatronics, robotics UJ Diagnostic devices for health applications; patient-specific modelling Photo dynamic therapy Radar research and applications Electronic warfare research applications. Mini gas turbines Robotics Computer science Photonics Cyber terrorism and counter terrorism for information warfare. Smart card and biometrics
NMMU UFS Univen UKZN Health care socio-technical systems Agro processing; product and process development; Enzyme biocatalysis; Micro biology and fungal research. Indigenous crops Semantic web open architecture and artificial Remote sensing; Environmental systems decisions and land use planning; Environmental Climate change Cyber security awareness Space launch engines Semantic web open architecture and artificial Laser-based processing of materials Mining safety, robotics, automation Performancebased standards for heavy vehicles; Semantic web open architecture and artificial Speech application usability and user experience Semantic web open architecture and artificial FTIR spectroscopy Quantum cryptography Polymer nano composite and quantum dots
APPENDIX 2: GUIDELINES FOR CSIR CO-OPERATION FUND PROPOSALS 1. What the funds can be used for The grant will assist researchers in CSIR operating units and centres to establish relationships with their counterparts at the HEIs, to initiate quality research relationships and strengthen programmes aimed at building human capacity. The grant can be used for research in areas specified in the MoU between the HEI and the CSIR. The funds can be used for: i. Time spent on research by CSIR researchers and mentors. ii. The use of research facilities by both CSIR staff and collaborating partners. iii. Exchange visits by CSIR researchers and visiting researchers. iv. Travel and accommodation for CSIR staff and collaborating partners. 2. Expected outputs The expected output of the funding is a research proposal that can be submitted to funding agencies to further expand the collaboration. Secondary outputs include journal and conference papers. 3. Process to be followed Applicants must complete the proposal submission template (Appendix 3) which should not exceed four pages in length (excluding cvs and supporting material, if appropriate). The template must be completed in full to facilitate the evaluation process. The proposals should be routed through the operating unit/centre strategic research manager who will submit the best three to Kagiso Keatimilwe by 20 April 2012. Only proposals that are submitted through the operating unit/centre strategic research manager will be considered. It is expected that an announcement on the outcome of applications will be made by 25 May 2012, after which the implementation of the projects will start based on their specific schedules. 4. Evaluation criteria The criteria for evaluating proposals for funding are: i. Relevance Alignment with CSIR strategic objectives of (a) strengthening the science and technology base and (b) Performing relevant knowledge-generating research (c) building and transforming human capital Alignment of proposal with CSIR Areas of Impact and collaboration areas in the MoU and operating unit/centre plans ii. Technical Merit of Proposal Clarity of purpose Consistency of specified outputs with the purpose of the fund, i.e full project proposal, and any other outputs.
iii. Project Team Qualification and experience of project leaders. (i) CSIR researcher(s) (ii) university researcher(s) iv. Project Management Duration (Will the project be completed within the current financial year?) Budget whether budget is within limit whether expenses are eligible for funding whether breakdown of running and HR costs is clear (i) HR costs (ii) running costs whether CSIR/University running costs are within prescribed limit Preference will be given to proposals which include co-funding by the collaborating institutions. 5. Eligibility i. The collaborating institution must have a memorandum of understanding with the CSIR or such an MoU must be under negotiation. ii. The application must include researchers from the CSIR and the respective HEI. iii. The proposal should be based on one of the areas of collaboration in the relevant MoU and operating unit/centre plan. 6. Project Monitoring and Reporting The following will apply: A time sheet system of reporting will be implemented on PeopleSoft; regular progress will be monitored by the operating units/ centres. One interim progress report and a final report is expected at the end of the funding. The submission dates for the reports will be indicated in the letter of award. 7. Limitations The CSIR running vs. manpower guidelines for PG shall apply to the HEI grant. External running expenses should not exceed 30% of the total budget of the project, while internal running expenses should not exceed 20% of the total budget of the project. The maximum grant per project will be R 100,000.
All projects should be completed within the financial year in which they are approved. 8. Termination of Funding The grant will be withdrawn on the basis of unsatisfactory performance. Failure to submit the project proposal on SIMS within the period specified in the letter of award will result in withdrawal of the funding.
APPENDIX 3: CSIR FUND FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROJECT PROPOSAL Date Project Title Research Area CSIR Lead Researcher and Operating Unit/ Centre Other CSIR Researchers (if any) Collaborating university, Department and Lead Researcher Other researchers from collaborating university (if any) 1. INTRODUCTION 2. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4. EXPECTED OUTPUTS (outputs include peer-reviewed journals, conference papers, book chapters, CSIR reports, training of students, etc) 5. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE 6. BUDGET Cost Type CSIR HR costs Amount Running costs (i)external running costs (ii)internal running costs Total APPENDIX : SHORT CVS OF THE RESEARCH TEAM