Fund Details
The Harvard University Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa (2021-22)
Academic Year
2021-2022
Award Duration
One or two years
Maximum Award Amount
$200,000
Sponsor Deadline
11/12/2021

Brief Description:

The Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa is made possible by a generous gift from the Motsepe Foundation. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research will administer the Fund together with the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, in collaboration with the Center for African Studies.

Description:

The Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa is made possible by a generous gift from the Motsepe Foundation. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research will administer the Fund together with the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, in collaboration with the Center for African Studies.

The primary purpose of the Fund is to support faculty-led and student-driven research projects that focus on advancing key challenges and opportunities facing Africa, including, but not limited to, the following areas: 
  • emerging technologies and the Fourth Industrial Revolution 
  • climate change and its effect on health, livelihoods, agriculture, water, and/or sanitation 
  • renewable energy and its benefit to infrastructure and/or society 
  • health 
  • aging 
  • materials science 
  • governance and policies needed for an entrepreneurial economy 

Activities the Fund may support include, but are not limited to, research, associated travel costs, and the publication and dissemination of findings.

Special consideration will be given to projects that propose multidisciplinary collaboration between Harvard faculty across more than one School and/or that include collaboration with Africa-based academics, and proposals that integrate the arts and humanities into STEM projects (STEAM).

Application Information:


A total of $700,000 is available in funding for the current cycle, and it is anticipated that 4 - 7 grants will be awarded. Applicants may request a project period of one or two years with a maximum of $200,000 direct costs, as specified by the applicant in the proposal. Grants are non-renewable, but may be eligible for a one-time, one-year, no-cost extension, provided the project is continuing, remains in good standing, and has made material progress.

Application Requirements and Instructions
To apply for support from the Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa, please visit Harvard’s online application portal at harvard.communityforce.com. You will be asked to submit the following information and documentation:
  • Contact information for principal investigator and any co-investigators or collaborators.
  • Proposal of up to 1,000 words that succinctly describes the proposed research project, its significance and expected impact, and any proposed collaboration with Africa-based academics or researchers. An additional field will be provided for inclusion of no more than two additional pages of supplemental information (citations, images, etc.). The faculty review committee is comprised of members hailing from various disciplines, which may or may not include that of the applicant. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit proposals demonstrating impact in a manner comprehensible to a highly educated lay audience.
  • CV of no more than 3 pages for each PI, co-investigator, and collaborator. If funding is requested for postdoctoral scholar(s) or graduate student(s), please also include a CV for each such individual. Biosketches are not permitted. 
  • Project budget must be provided using the form available in the application. Applicants must also use the budget justification form provided to explain each budget item.
  • Letters of Support are not permitted.


Unallowable expenses
Student tuition
Renovation and capital project costs


Other budget considerations
  • If the total cost of the proposed project is larger than the award requested from the Fund, please provide brief details of other support in the budget.
  • Applicants should note that any benefits-eligible personnel expenses in the budget must include the appropriate fringe rates for each year of funding. If the application proposes to fund a certain amount of an existing employee’s time, then the budget must also include that percentage of applied fringe.
  • Applicants should consult with Human Resources at their home School for applicable rates.
  • Include direct costs only. School assessments should not be included in your budget (these will be arranged separately with home Schools).
  • It is strongly recommended that, for proposals including work performed in Africa, applicants seek budget advice from knowledgeable representatives at their home School or from Harvard Global Support Services.
  • All applications must adhere to University and School-level guidance on travel. 


Other Support
Applicants must use the form provided in the application to summarize active and pending support for the Principal Investigator. “Other Support” includes all financial resources, whether federal, non-federal, commercial, or institutional, available in direct support of an individual’s research endeavors, including but not limited to research grants, cooperative agreements, contracts and/or institutional awards. Please include any Harvard internal grants or major, project-specific support. Please do not include any start-up packages and/or tenure-transfer funding.

Assurance of Compliance
All recipients of an award from the Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa are expected to comply with all University (or local institutional, if awarded through an affiliated entity) policies governing the conduct of research including, but not limited to, the use of animals, human subjects, hazardous materials, and export controls. Awardees will be asked to provide the name and signature of a School or Department administrator who, in addition to the principal investigator, will certify that the project complies with all relevant policies. Funds will not be made available, and invoices from non-Harvard entities will not be reimbursed, without such certification. All applicants are subject to audit.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applications are invited from individuals who hold a faculty appointment at a Harvard School and who have principal investigator rights at that School. Harvard Medical School faculty must hold a faculty appointment with PI rights in one of HMS’s basic or social science departments. Faculty may request support for Harvard postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates.

Individuals who are principal investigators on an active Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa award will not be funded. Previous awardees are invited to apply for a new project, provided their prior award cycle has concluded.

Review Criteria:

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of academic merit, feasibility, and their anticipated advancement of the objectives of the Fund. They must meet at least one of the following three criteria, with priority given to those projects that meet more than one criterion:
  • Focus on Africa
  • Include meaningful collaboration with Africa-based academics
  • Be undertaken in Africa in whole or in part

Additional Information, Related Websites, and Proxy Instructions:

Review and Funding Timeline
  • September 20, 2021: Application portal opens
  • November 12, 2021: Application deadline/portal closes
  • February 2022: Awardees notified
  • March 2022: Funds disbursed (Fund disbursal will occur upon receipt of signed terms and conditions, and provision of any required documentation. Delayed receipt of documentation may delay the disbursal of funds.)

Search Filters:
Institution
  • Harvard Business School
  • Harvard Divinity School
  • Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Graduate School of Design
  • Graduate School of Education
  • Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
  • Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Harvard Kennedy School
  • Harvard Law School
  • Harvard Medical School (Quad)
  • Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM)
    Position
    • Instructor
    • Assistant Professor
    • Associate Professor
    • Professor
    • Other Academic/Research Appointment
      Type of Competition
      • Harvard Internal Funding
        Discipline
        • Arts
        • Basic Science
        • Clinical Science
        • Environmental Science
        • Engineering
        • Humanities
        • Life Science
        • Population Science
        • Multidisciplinary
        • Physical Science
        • Social/Behavioral Science
        • Translational Science
        • Other
          Begin Accepting Applications Date:
          9/20/2021
          Deadline Date (EST Time Zone):
          11/29/2021 11:59 PM