Guidelines : Funding for Doctoral and Post-doctoral Research Guidelines: Funding for Doctoral and Post-doctoral Research Background The BANKSETA is a statutory body established through the Skills Development Act of 1998 to enable its stakeholders to advance the National and Global position of the Banking and Microfinance industry. As guided by its mandate the BANKSETA is as such an agent of transformation and seeks to promote employment equity and broad-based BEE through Skills Development. The BANKSETA Council has indicated that there is a continuing need for funding of skills development of employees of BANKSETA registered employers as well as a need for funding Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research pertinent to the broader banking and microfinance sector. The need is expressed for funding of Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Research programmes, offered by South African Institutions of Higher Education. The rationale for funding the Doctoral and Post-Doctoral programmes is to address the following: Provide financial support and assistance primarily to previously disadvantaged individuals who are employed professionals in specialist areas in the banking and microfinance industry and university based researchers engaging in Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research within the banking and microfinance sector: Stimulate research pertinent to the broader banking and microfinance sector including cooperative banks; Grow the knowledge economy by encouraging research in new fields that will add to the body of knowledge for the banking and microfinance sector. Make research results available in the interest of the financial services sector and the South African economy as a whole. Researchers can be nominated as programme beneficiaries by their employers or by Higher Education Institutions where the research is carried out. A panel of experts will advise the BANKSETA on the approval of applications and allocation of funds. The BANKSETA reserves the right not to allocate the funding available. Guidelines Funding Offered: The BANKSETA will consider funding applications from BANKSETA registered employers to fund their employees who want to carry out research in their doctoral or post-doctoral studies and to registered South African Institutions for Higher Education to fund their researchers in Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research programmes, pertinent to the broader banking and microfinance sector.
The funding is offered annually depending on the availability of funds. This means that a researcher can only obtain funding for one particular year of his/her research. Where the research is to be carried out over a number of years, the researcher through the Employer or Higher Education Institution must submit an application form with a progress report on an annual basis and re-apply for further funding. Therefore funding for programmes that exceed one year will be treated as a year-on-year application based on the progress of the researcher. Who can apply? Individuals with approved research proposals can apply through the BANKSETA Employer or the Higher Education Institution where the research is to be conducted. BANKSETA employers and Higher Education Institutions are the only parties that can submit an application on behalf of an Employee or a Researcher/Phd student. BANKSETA will only enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Employer or the Higher Education Institution. BANKSETA WILL NOT enter into any contract with the individual researcher. The Employer or Higher Education Institution making the application is referred to as the Recipient with whom BANKSETA will enter into an agreement and who will receive payment. The Employee or Phd Student who will be granted funding to carry out the specified research is referred to as the Researcher. Two types of applications are anticipated: Employers in the broader banking and microfinance sector seeking to support their employees engaged with or to be engaged with Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research; South African Institutions of Higher Education seeking to support their researchers engaged with or to be engaged with Doctoral and Post-Doctoral research within the banking and microfinance sector. The employer can, through its designated representative (Skills Development Facilitator SDF), apply for funding on behalf of its employees. The Institution for Higher Education will, through its designated representative, apply for funding on behalf of its researchers. The candidates need to meet the academic requirements for research of Doctoral or Post-Doctoral research programmes, as set by the respective Institutions of Higher Education. The research proposal MUST BE APPROVED by the respective Institutions of Higher Education before an application for funding is submitted. All employees and phd students are nominated by employers and/or Institutions of Higher Education as programme beneficiaries. Only South African citizens can be programme beneficiaries and in general BANKSETA will prioritise the allocation funding in line with the employment equity targets of 85% black, 54% female and 4% people with disabilities. A new application can be made for an employee or phd student who has just had his/her research proposal approved or an application can be made for a researcher in subsequent years of study. For the latter an
application form must be submitted with a progress report in order for BANKSETA to consider the researcher for further funding. NB: Proof of registration at a Higher Education Institution will be required before funding will be released and the date of signing the Memorandum of Agreement is deemed to be the start date for the funding What programmes and research topics is priority? This funding opportunity is provided for research programmes on Doctoral and Post-Doctoral level. The financial sector depends on an interdisciplinary workforce and therefore avails these opportunities to disciplines that will best advance the broader banking and microfinance sector. The research needs to benefit the banking and microfinance sector. The BANKSETA prioritises scarce skills areas identified as follows: The banking sector s scarce skills: Risk Management ICT Banking Management and Leadership Sales & Relationship Management Compliance Microfinance scarce skills: Customer Service & Relationship Management Financial intelligence Administration Microfinance related legislation Over and above, the BANKSETA refers prospective applicants to the research priorities set out in the BANKSETA Sector Skills Plan 2014-2015. The BANKSETA draws applicants to the following potential research areas BANKSETA considers to be important for Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Research funding: The structuring of BEE deals in SA financial system; King III and corporate governance in the banking sector; Basel III and fair-value accounting the impact on banking sector stability; Compensation systems in the banking sector; The securitisation model and its flaws impact on stability of the financial system; The role of credit rating agencies conflicts of interest and information problems; Credit standing of consumers in SA developments and information from the National Credit Regulator; Cooperative banks: regulation, profitability and sustainability, socio-economic impact
The importance of capital adequacy and liquidity sufficiency in banks in light of the global financial crisis; and Microfinance. The Research Output BANKSETA requests full access to the research results and the research output whether in the form of a thesis/publication or journal article, etc. BANKSETA plans to make these outputs available on its research portal for the broader sector to gain access. The research results will be made available in the interest of financial services sector and the South African Economy as a whole and as such will be published by BANKSETA for access by the banking and microfinance sector. The research will be available for dissemination on the BANKSETA knowledge portal, without restriction of publication, in the interest of the banking and microfinance sector and the South African economy as a whole. Allocation of funds: Funding is limited to the cost of the research that the SPECIFIC YEAR IN WHICH THE APPLICATION IS MADE AND NOT FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD IN WHICH THE RESEARCH IS TO BE UNDERTAKEN. The Applicant must however indicate the full period of study in terms of projected time period and the future projected cost of completing the research study. Funds are allocated as follows: IN SCOPE Tuition fees Library fees Books (up to R4 000.00) OUT OF SCOPE International travel and accommodation Co-funding with another public agency Conferences/Seminars - nationally ONLY Collection of research data focus groups, interviews, sending out questionnaires, etc Editing Printing Special Requests: Special requests such as the one listed below should be motivated to the BANKSETA Funding Administrator: Submission of living expenses (only for block release study in exceptional circumstances Travel (nationally)
Data purchasing Budget for Books (above R4000.00) NB: No Laptops/PCs and software may be funded using BANKSETA funds. These requests will be discussed at the BANKSETA evaluation panel and the applicant will be informed accordingly. Evaluations of Applications Received A panel of experts assist BANSKETA in evaluating the applications received. For new applications, an approved research proposal must accompany the application form. If there is no approved research proposal, the application will be rejected. For applications that have received prior funding, a progress report must accompany the application form (use the BANKSETA Phd Progress Report Template). If there is no progress report for the researcher nominated, the application will be rejected. Nominations will be accepted on the merits of the application. In the event that the available funding is oversubscribed, the BANKSETA will ensure the widest spread amongst employers and Institutions for Higher Education. Application, Reporting and Payment Procedure: 1. Individual employers and Institutions of Higher Education will identify employees/phd students as per the guidelines provided. 2. Having identified the researcher they wish to support, the employers and Institutions for Higher Education complete the Application Form and submit with an approved research proposal and budget breakdown or a progress report and budget breakdown and send these to the Bursary Agent by the closing date. 3. Applicants (employers and Institutions for Higher Education) will be advised of the outcome of their application. Any additional information, if required, will be requested and must be provided before any funding is approved. An application form should be submitted for each beneficiary that the Employer or University of Higher Education is requesting funding. 4. On approval on an application received and funds permitting, the BANKSETA will prepare a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with each employer and/or Institution of Higher Education for the approved funding. 5. MoAs should be signed and returned to the BANKSETA Bursary Agent within a period of 30 days. If the MoA are not returned in time, the BANKSETA may reallocate the funds. 6. Successful applicants/recipients will invoice the BANKSETA as per the approved percentage breakdown of the cost of the research programme once all documentation has been submitted. If there is more than one beneficiary, they may be invoiced together.
7. On approval of the application and submission of proof of registration by the researcher, 50% of the funds will be disbursed for the identified researcher if it is a new application. For a researcher who is receiving subsequent funding, the first 50% will be disbursed on approval of the application and submission of a progress report for the previous funding cycle. 8. Upon the receipt of the end of year Progress Report and all outcomes being met and if progress is in accordance with the MoA, the final 50% will be disbursed. 9. BANKSETA reserves the right to limit the number of researchers / candidates per Institution of Higher Education. Contractual Liabilities Please take note that the following forms part of the Memorandum of Agreement to be signed between BANKSETA and the Recipient of the funding: i. BANKSETA is responsible for: The payment of all claims to the recipient within 30 days after receipt of the recipient s invoice provided all payment criteria are met. BANKSETA reserves the right to call for an independent audit of the progress of each researcher. The costs of the audit will be borne by the recipient if found negligent in terms of this Memorandum of Agreement. ii. The Recipient is Responsible for: The repayment of all funds disbursed in the event of the researcher/employee for whom funding has been provided by the BANKSETA, fails to complete or is asked to leave the programme during the current academic study year, for the programme that the researcher/employee was granted funding by BANKSETA. In the case of a non-banking sector researcher/employee the recipient/institution will repay the full value of funds disbursed for the programme for that researcher/employee to the BANKSETA. The recipient/employer must satisfy BANKSETA that the appropriate internal controls and governance structures are in place to prevent any unauthorised, irregular and/or fruitless and wasteful expenditure as contemplated by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), occurring. The recipient/employer will invoice the BANKSETA for the funds due for the researcher/employee nominated in paragraph 3.ii (above). The invoice should provide full details of each approved researcher, the title of the research topic (a shortened version if too long), the fees and the reference BANKSETA 465.4710.515. The recipient s bank account details (a copy of a cancelled cheque; or banking information on a company letterhead, signed by the accountant; or a stamped letter of confirmation from the bank) must also accompany the submission of claims.
iii. The Researcher is Responsible for: Confirming that the researcher/employee is a South African citizen and that the indicators as reflected in points 2.7 and 2.8 of the application form, in terms of gender and race are correct and in line with the definitions of the Financial Services Charter. The Preparation of a progress report at the end of the 2014 academic year which will be submitted by the Recipient with the invoice. This progress report must be submitted to the recipient/employer who will forward it to BANKSETA with the invoice. The research output will be made available for dissemination on the BANKSETA knowledge management portal, without restriction of publication by the researcher, in the interest of the financial service sector and the South African economy as a whole. iv. General: In the event of a breach of any of the terms of this Memorandum of Agreement by either party, the other party shall be entitled to give the defaulting party written notice calling upon the defaulting party to remedy the breach within a period of not more than 21 days. If the defaulting party fails to remedy the breach within that period the other party will be entitled to cancel this agreement, without prejudice to any other rights which that party may have against the defaulting party. Progress reporting Successful candidates will be required to submit progress report at the end of the study year. All proof of spend for the period must be properly recorded and kept by the Researcher/Recipient and may be called upon if there is an audit. In this case proof of spend refers to relevant receipts, proof of payment, proof of registration for the studies and related conferences attended. Invoices will ONLY be paid when a progress report has been attached. Claw Back Principle: The BANKSETA is required in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) to ensure that funds allocated are accounted for including recovery of funds as and when losses occur. It is within this context that BANKSETA will recover from employers and South African Institutions of Higher Education, the funds and/or costs incurred due to poor progress against agreed deliverables/outcomes/outputs or drop off of researchers from this project. All participating employers / South African Institutions of Higher Education will as such be required to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with BANKSETA to this effect.
Contact details: The Application Form for beneficiaries (employees / researchers) should be sent to: BANKSETA Funding Administrator Email: funding@bankseta.org.za or angien@bankseta.org.za Phone: +27-11-564-5324 Fax: +27-11-805-8348 BANKSETA Thornhill Office Park, Block 22 94 Bekker Road Vorna Valley Midrand 1685 Please direct all enquiries to the BANKSETA Funding Administrator.