Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa

Deadline: October 29, 2021

Award Amount: Up to $100,000 in direct costs for one or two years. A total of $350,000 is available in funding for the current cycle, and it is anticipated that 4-7 grants will be awarded. 

The primary purpose of the Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa 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, 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 also be given to projects that propose multidisciplinary collaboration between Harvard faculty across more than one school and Africa-based academics.

Questions about this announcement may be directed to Erin Hale (erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu) or Susan Gomes (sgomes@fas.harvard.edu).