Stellenbosch-Warwick Joint Seed Fund
Stellenbosch University and University of Warwick (Warwick) Joint Seed Fund
Key Dates
Applications open: Wednesday 23rd September 2026
Application closes: Friday 30th October 2026
Awards begin: Friday 1st January 2027
Duration: up to 24 months
Frequency: One call per year
Fund Objectives
The Stellenbosch-Warwick Seed Fund is designed to flexibly support Stellenbosch and Warwick researchers and professional service staff to establish new links and advance existing collaborations, by enabling activities such as:
- organisation of virtual, hybrid or in-person workshops, conferences, symposia;
- preliminary research, experiments and pilot studies;
- meetings to facilitate planning and development of external funding proposals;
- reciprocal or non-reciprocal visits to establish new collaborations.
Proposals should address the following points:
- Research projects should articulate the challenge the team is seeking to address, and how they are placed within the broader research landscape to do this;
- Education projects should outline ways that the project will help to internationalise teaching and learning at Stellenbosch and Warwick
- Clear definition of the objectives, outcomes and impact – including external funding targets;
- Demonstrate why neither university could tackle the challenge alone – or the additionality achieved through collaboration;
- Articulate what the funding will enable and why it is an appropriate funding source for the activity;
- Be balanced in benefit and be of strategic interest to both Stellenbosch and Warwick;
- Reflect the most efficient and effective means to achieve the project objectives.
Fund
The Stellenbosch-Warwick Seed Fund provides funding of up to ZAR R100,000, for expenses incurred by Stellenbosch and GBP £5,000, for expenses incurred by Warwick.
We welcome proposals that offer most effective means of achieving the objectives, including those below the maximum funding threshold.
Examples of allowable expenditure include:
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Reasonable travel and visa costs;
(Please visit Warwick's FP16 and Warwick's Travel Hub before booking any travel).
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Accommodation and subsistence costs (it is expected that Stellenbosch staff participating in activities located at the University of Warwick will stay in on-campus accommodation. Warwick staff visiting Stellenbosch will be provided with a list of accommodation options on campus or in town.
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Reasonable event/workshop costs (activities should be held on campus or justification provided for alternative locations);
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Research/educational support (e.g. access charges, virtual platforms, consumables, transcription costs, research assistant hourly rates), not typically exceeding 20% of the total project budget.
The Seed Fund will not typically fund:
- Infrastructure and equipment;
- Overhead/central support charges;
- Non-Stellenbosch or Warwick staff expenses (including travel and accommodation);
- Salaries of existing staff and honoraria (e.g., the funds cannot be used to buy out Project Lead time to undertake the project);
- Per diems (expenses must be base on receipts)
- Car Hir
- Conference registrations and related travel/accommodation costs (unless presenting results of the project)
- Costs already incurred prior to submission of the proposal.
Eligibility:
The Stellenbosch-Warwick Seed Fund is open to staff from all academic departments and research units as well as all professional service staff.
Applicants must be permanent or fixed-term, full or part-time staff. For applicants on fixed-term contracts, the duration of contract must extend beyond the project completion date.
How to apply:
Please complete the electronic application at this link.
Applications must include:
- Completed electronic application form;
- Completed Project Summary and Case for Support document;
- Completed budget tables in Excel;
- Two short CVs - one from each of the Principal Applicants from Stellenbosch and Warwick;
- Two statements of Support (an e-mail from Head of Department/School/Centre) - one from each of Stellenbosch and Warwick
Inspiring spaces to support your collaboration
Please do take full advantage of our Warwick Venice Centre which offers an enriching environment for joint research, education and engagement. The centre provides dedicated facilities, strong local networks, and a supportive team on the ground, making it an ideal base for workshops, project development, and international partnership-building. For more information on our Warwick Venice Centre please contact Bryan Brazeau,
