Major International Funding Boosts African-Led Climate Research
The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, in partnership with the Belmont Forum, has announced a significant investment in African climate research, selecting 10 transdisciplinary projects for funding totaling €4.29 million. This landmark initiative represents one of the most substantial research funding administrations the NRF has undertaken in recent years, specifically designed to address critical climate vulnerabilities across the African continent.
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Strategic Focus Areas for Continental Impact
The funding call, developed through extensive consultation with the research community, targeted three primary thematic areas where climate change poses the most urgent threats to African development and wellbeing. These carefully selected focus areas represent the intersection points where climate change most dramatically affects African communities and ecosystems.
The three core research themes include:
- Water-Energy-Food-Health Nexus: Investigating the interconnected challenges of resource management and public health in changing climate conditions
- Pollution: Addressing environmental contamination exacerbated by climate shifts
- Disaster Preparedness, Responsiveness, and Recovery: Building resilience against climate-related emergencies
Additionally, the green and blue economy was identified as a cross-cutting consideration, while education and awareness initiatives were encouraged as complementary activities across all projects., as our earlier report, according to recent research
Rigorous Selection Process Yields Diverse Research Portfolio
The competitive selection process attracted significant global interest, with researchers submitting 172 pre-proposals and 59 full proposals. Following comprehensive review, the 10 selected projects—all led by African-based researchers—stood out for their innovative approaches to addressing complex climate-environment-health challenges., according to related coverage
Dr. Nare Prudence Makhura, Executive Director of International Grants and Partnerships at the NRF, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “This reflects our strong commitment to supporting African-led, solutions-driven research that tackles the pressing challenges of climate change on the continent. Equally, it highlights the sophistication of our funding administration systems to effectively manage complex, multi-partner international collaborations.”
Pan-African Collaboration with Global Reach
The selected projects demonstrate remarkable continental representation and international partnership. The research teams comprise 126 members, including 10 African consortium leads, 29 co-Principal Investigators, and 87 project partners. The disciplinary diversity is equally impressive, with 87 natural scientists, 23 social scientists, and 16 societal partners collaborating across traditional academic boundaries.
Geographical distribution highlights extensive African participation:
- 97 team members from 16 African nations including Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda
- International representation from Asia (Turkey), Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil)
Long-Term Commitment to Sustainable Development
The three-year funding timeframe ensures that researchers can develop substantial, impactful work that aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 climate, environment, and sustainability goals. The NRF’s contribution of €1 million specifically supports South African researchers’ participation, while the remaining funding comes from 13 additional international partners.
This initiative represents a strategic shift toward supporting homegrown solutions to climate challenges, recognizing that African researchers possess unique insights into the continent’s specific vulnerabilities and opportunities. By prioritizing African leadership in climate research, the program aims to develop context-appropriate solutions that reflect local realities and priorities.
The funded projects are expected to generate valuable data, innovative approaches, and practical strategies for climate adaptation and mitigation across multiple sectors. Their transdisciplinary nature ensures that research outcomes will integrate scientific understanding with social implementation, creating pathways for real-world impact in communities most affected by climate change.
As climate change continues to disproportionately affect developing regions, this investment in African research leadership signals a promising direction for global climate action—one that centers local knowledge and expertise in addressing one of humanity’s most pressing challenges.
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