Most funding bodies nowadays have requirements that go far beyond excellent research ideas. Such requirements may include, for instance, alignment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), legal, financial, and ethical issues.

When you decide to apply:

• Does your research fit the scope of the call?
• Is your research within the funding agency’s remit?
• Is there alignment with the National Development Plan/Strategy, Institutional Research Strategy, SGDs?
• Have you registered on the funding body’s online system?
• Have you created an online CV (including personal profile, contact details, research outputs, copy of ID/passport)?
• Have you registered on the ORCID platform?
• Did you obtain identification numbers and codes (needed for most international grants)? (vdwesthd@ufs.ac.za)
• Do you have an approved budget?
• Did you obtain letters of support?
• Did you obtain ethical clearance?

Are you eligible in terms of the following:

• Age
• Nationality
• Qualification
• Historically disadvantaged institution/individual
• Knowing the kind of organisation that you present (non-profit, HEI, private institution)

Sign and submit

• Who is eligible to sign and submit your application? (HOD, DVC: Research, Dean, signing official for institution)?
• Some large funders require a signature, letter of support from the DVC, and/or letter of consent.
• Funders may require applications to be prioritised internally by university management.
• Note the limit on the number of applications to be submitted.
• Submission: who can submit the application?
• In most cases, applications must be endorsed and approved by the designated authority of the institution (DRD) before it is submitted.

If you have questions, please contact
Eleanor van der Westhuizen
E: vdwesthd@ufs.ac.za

Ethical clearance

• Do you need to provide ethical permits as part of the application? For which parts of the project do you already have valid ethical permits, and for which will you need to apply for new ethical permits?
• Do you need to fill in any special ethical forms?
• Make sure you are as detailed as possible when describing how you (will) handle any ethical concerns within the project.
• If you have questions, please contact DRD.
• Do you need to provide ethical permits/clearance as part of the application? Research involving animals/human subjects.

If you have questions, please contact 
Maricel van Rooyen
E: MaricelM2@ufs.ac.za

Intellectual property issues

• Are you familiar with the definition of intellectual property (IP)?
• Who owns the background and foreground IP?
• If the funder owns the IP, has the full costing financial tool been applied?
• If the research could lead to a patent, remember that the patent must be filed before anything is published or presented.
• Who will be entitled to publish regarding the services and the service deliverables at symposiums, conferences, other professional meetings, or in an academic journal.

Grant preparation and signing of agreement

Once you receive the notice of award and before the project can start, a contract is prepared between the funding agency and the grantee (some agencies only work on an award letter and do not require an agreement. Depending on the funder, the phase of grant preparation may include different sets of actions as well as preparation of additional agreements.

All grant agreements with the European Commission and with US federal agencies must go through DRD.  This is to ensure that all legal and financial aspects are appropriately addressed. Contact DRD as soon as you get your notice of award.

Budget

Read more about the budget processes here.

If you have questions regarding internal funding, please contact
Sugan Moodley
E: MoodleyS4@ufs.ac.za
Lebohang Mahlabe
E: MahlabeLE@ufs.ac.za
 

 
Contact us

Eleanor van der Westhuizen
Assistant Director: Grants Management
T: +27 51 401 7077
E: VdwestHD@ufs.ac.za

Thabi Mosoetsa
Officer: Grants Management
T: +27 51 401 7708
E: MosoetsaT@ufs.ac.za

Johannes Brill Building, First Floor, Bloemfontein Campus