British Academy - UK-South Africa Bilateral Research Chair -International Science Partnerships Fund

DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

This Chair in Digital Humanities will play a key role in building capacity; creating networks; and creating intellectual agendas, a multivalent humanistic platform, grounded outreach, and new modes of material engagement and interpretative frameworks. National Research Foundation (NRF) and the British Academy will work together to design a joint call with a focus on digital humanities. Digital humanities (DH) is a relatively emergent academic discipline in South Africa, however, South Africa's Department for Science & Innovation has identified it as a discipline that has great potential for growth and impact. Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and National Research Foundation (NRF) therefore see an opportune moment for a catalytic intervention through this chair. The Chair will play an important role in supporting the development of an inclusive and active community of practice in Digital Humanities (DH) in South Africa, leveraging Digital Humanities (DH) champions in academia, building programmes for greater cross-disciplinary collaboration, establishing cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional training and development programmes, and creating a mentorship programme for newcomers to digital scholarship or for those who want to develop open educational resources for Digital Humanities. The focus for this chair could enable challenges to be tackled such as the integration of innovative technologies and interpretative methodologies such as big data and AI systems, 3D modelling, data mining, machine learning, AI and adding value to contemporary digital discussions of democracy. The Academy will work with National Research Foundation (NRF) to finalise a MoU and build to a joint call text with the expectation this will be launched in the new year with an award beginning in 2023-24. The award would be for 5 years in duration with the Academy's contribution being met in the first 2 years and National Research Foundation (NRF)'s contribution coming thereafter. The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) was established in 2006 and is designed to be a strategic intervention to increase research leadership, to develop research capacity, and stimulate the generation of new knowledge whilst significantly expanding South Africa's research base in a way that results in the realisation of South Africa’s transformation into a knowledge economy in which the generation of knowledge translates into socio-economic benefits. They are a significant instrument in South Africa's 'Decadal Plan' which is aligned to the SDGs through which National Research Foundation (NRF) is actively aiming to engage with international partners.

Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) South Africa - Calls- tender-UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Collaborative project between meteorological services in South Africa and UK focusing on capacity building for improved weather and climate services, enabling mitigation of risk from extreme weather events. Research into improving representation of Climate Variability and change over Africa by using Machine Learning as a tool for Data Rescue.

Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) South Africa - Calls- tender-UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH

DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Collaborative project between meteorological services in South Africa and UK focusing on capacity building for improved weather and climate services, enabling mitigation of risk from extreme weather events. Research into advancing rip current forecasts for beach locations across South Africa.

Measuring the environmental, economic and health impacts of deploying the SunstorePowerpan - a combined food processing and electricity generating solar appliance - in townships across South Africa

DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Sunstore Technologies Ltd has invented and patented a new solar hybrid cooking and electricity generation unit; the Sunstorepowerpan XLM. The unit is designed to cook all food types, and can produce up to 2000 portions of rice (or equivalent) in any 24 hour period, using either a 30 or 60 litre cooking pan. It comes with an insulated solar pre-heat serving counter that can keep the food piping hot for up to 8 hours, so it is possible to serve a hot breakfast to around 500 people as well as produce 100 portions every hour. This makes it ideal for situations where large volumes are required eg community feeding stations, emergency relief set-ups or refugee camps, as well as schools where meals are often served to incentivise attendance. The unit can simultaneously generate up to 200 Watts of electricity to charge eg phones or computers during the day, or to provide illumination at night. This is done by burning smokeless bio-char in an enclosed and protected fire tray. 200Watts is significantly more electricity than is produced by the equivalent photo-voltaic panel array at less than half the capital cost. By means of a water tower, the unit can solar track, allowing it to be left unattended for several hours at a time. This water tower can also filter over 300 litres per day to provide safe drinking water. The unit is attempting to improve the quality of life for the 3.5 billion people currently reliant on biomass for their daily cooking needs, while reducing air pollution, deforestation and the associated species loss. It can provide electricity to the 1.2 billion currently off-grid. It can also improve human productivity by freeing up those currently spending up to 4 hours per day collecting wood. If deployed across Africa and Asia in large numbers, it will reduce global CO2 emissions (savings of up to 40 tonnes per unit are possible depending on what type of fuel is being displaced) while alleviating food poverty and allowing off-grid communities free access to electricity and IT connectivity. Sunstore Technologies in partnership with Defy ZA, is attempting to provide ecological nutrition and power to off-grid communities; feeding the people while protecting the planet. This patented technology is both disruptive and transformative and can, if widely deployed, alleviate food and fuel poverty across the world while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our mission is to: Disrupt-Transfom-Diversify-Empower- Sustain

SEBA - Smart Energy Blackout Avoidance

DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

In South Africa, energy generation is regularly too low to meet demand. Eskom, the national energy company, performs scheduled Load Shedding; sections of the grid are powered off, so that limited generation can supply demand. There are widespread deployments of local backup generation and battery storage at commercial premises such as offices and hotels so that they can cope with load shedding, but socially disadvantaged people do not have such resources. Eskom supplies municipalities, who then distribute and sell the energy to energy consumers. On average, 27% of municipal revenue is derived from selling energy. Changes to Eskom tariffs, with higher price periods, cause municipalities financial challenges. For example, Hessequa are losing 3Million rand per month. This project will provide demand side control to municipalities. In its simplest form this involves temporarily turning-down electrical demands such as air-conditioning or water pumps, at times of high price. This will be controlled by Gridimp's innovative iDSR (Intelligent Demand Side Response) technology which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce maintenance and configuration costs. The installation involves an engineer installing the control appliance on-site and connecting it to local sensors using our engineering console. This project will create new software to integrate with IoT sensors, plus a new interface to the microgrid controller to enable control or charging/discharging of batteries. Gridimp will be the lead UK partner and provider of demand control technology. GreenSun will be the South African partner, leading the installation work. The project demonstration customer will be Hessequa Municipality. Hessequa Municipality have provided their support to this project, are recognised as a green leader amongst municipalities in South Africa and are committed to helping us to create a model for other municipalities to follow. The main impacts of the project will be: Use demand response at scale to avoid load shedding, supporting greater reliability -- key to multiple UN objectives (including GESI) Avoid excessive charges to municipalities & direct Eskom customers. Increase available funds for investment in network reinforcement and social projects Create a low-carbon balancing reserve to enable an increased uptake for intermittent renewable generation This project will address load-shedding in South Africa, reducing blackouts and delivering cheaper, cleaner, more reliable energy to all, supporting GESI, ODA and the Energy Trilemma goals. The project will bring smart energy skills training to local people, focussing on social inclusion (GESI), to secure these gains as a project legacy.

Darwin Initiative Round 23

Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment through locally based projects worldwide. The initiative funds projects that help countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources to meet their objectives under one or more of the biodiversity conventions. The objective is to to address threats to biodiversity such as: - habitat loss or degradation - climate change - invasive species - over-exploitation - pollution and eutrophication.

Darwin Initiative

Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

The Darwin Initiative is the UK’s flagship international challenge fund for biodiversity conversation and poverty reduction, established at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The Darwin Initiative is a grant scheme working on projects that aim to slow, halt, or reverse the rates of biodiversity loss and degradation, with associated reductions in multidimensional poverty. To date, the Darwin Initiative has awarded more than £195m to over 1,280 projects in 159 countries to enhance the capability and capacity of national and local stakeholders to deliver biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction outcomes in low and middle-income countries. More information at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/the-darwin-initiative and https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/

A contribution to Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSDA) the United Nations Development Programme Biodiversity Finance Initiative (Biofin) to support delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

The programme will support low and lower-middle income countries to grow their economies in ways that help to protect and restore their natural capital and so drive sustainable economic development. It is designed to provide practical support to governments, businesses, and financial institutions to integrate nature into their economic and financial decision-making, understand and manage nature-related risks, and capitalise on growing opportunities to invest in their natural assets. As such, it will support low and lower-middle income countries to transition to nature positive, net zero economies and so protect the poorest communities. Through an integrated set of activities, the programme will deliver the following outcomes: • Private Sector Disclosure Readiness: private sector actors in low and lower-middle income countries – including financial institutions, businesses, and policy-makers - will have the tools they need to understand and manage nature-related financial risk. In particular, the programme will ensure that key institutions have the tools and capacity to respond to growing demand to disclose nature-related financial risk. • Integrating nature at country level: governmental and regulatory decision-makers in low and lower-middle income countries will have the knowledge, skills and data to design and implement policies and programmes that will help to manage nature-related risks, unlock new nature markets, and rebuild natural capital. • Action Plans for Nature: partner governments will develop clear and comprehensive plans to finance the protection and restoration of nature. These plans will act as platforms to mobilise and guide both public and private financial flows. • Evidence Sharing Mechanisms on Nature: better evidence will be available to, and used by, decision makers in low and lower middle-income countries to guide their work. The programme will help to build the evidence about how to best integrate consideration of the natural environment into economic and financial decision making. It will also help decision-makers in governments and the private sector to access and use that evidence easily by building communities of practice and robust approaches to sharing knowledge and information. The outcomes will support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting COP15. As protection and restoration of critical ecosystems is also critical to tackling climate change, it will also support the UK goal to keep global temperature rises within 1.5c degrees.

Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund Round 7

Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a widespread and lucrative criminal activity causing major global environmental and social harm. The IWT has been estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year. Nearly 6,000 different species of fauna and flora are impacted, with almost every country in the world playing a role in the illicit trade.

• Developing sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT,

• Strengthening law enforcement,

• Ensuring effective legal frameworks,

• Reducing demand for IWT products.

By 2023 over £51 million has been committed to 157 projects since the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was established in 2013. This round of funding includes the following projects: IWT086 to IWT107. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/illegal-wildlife-trade-challenge-fund-iwtcf (Language: English)

Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund Round 8

Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a widespread and lucrative criminal activity causing major global environmental and social harm. The IWT has been estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year. Nearly 6,000 different species of fauna and flora are impacted, with almost every country in the world playing a role in the illicit trade.

• Developing sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT,

• Strengthening law enforcement,

• Ensuring effective legal frameworks,

• Reducing demand for IWT products.

By 2023 over £51 million has been committed to 157 projects since the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was established in 2013. This round of funding includes the following projects: IWTEX001, IWTEV001-008, IWT108-120. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/illegal-wildlife-trade-challenge-fund-iwtcf (Language: English)

Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund Round 9

Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs

Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a widespread and lucrative criminal activity causing major global environmental and social harm. The IWT has been estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year. Nearly 6,000 different species of fauna and flora are impacted, with almost every country in the world playing a role in the illicit trade.

• Developing sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT,

• Strengthening law enforcement,

• Ensuring effective legal frameworks,

• Reducing demand for IWT products.

By 2023 over £51 million has been committed to 157 projects since the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was established in 2013. This round of funding includes the following projects: IWTEX002-003, IWTEV009-018, IWT121-129. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/illegal-wildlife-trade-challenge-fund-iwtcf (Language: English)

South Africa - PhD Placements

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

South Africa - PhD Placements is funded through the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Newton Fund and delivered on the UK side by the British Council. This activity contributes to the Newton Fund’s work in building research and innovation partnerships with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support economic development and social welfare, tackle global challenges and develop talent and careers.

South Africa - Bilateral Chairs

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

South Africa - Bilateral Chairs is funded through the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Newton Fund and delivered on the UK side by the British Council. This activity contributes to the Newton Fund’s work in building research and innovation partnerships with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support economic development and social welfare, tackle global challenges and develop talent and careers.

South Africa - Researcher Links Travel Grants

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

South Africa - Researcher Links Travel Grants is funded through the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Newton Fund and delivered on the UK side by the British Council. This activity contributes to the Newton Fund’s work in building research and innovation partnerships with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support economic development and social welfare, tackle global challenges and develop talent and careers.

South Africa - Trilateral Research Chairs

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

South Africa - Trilateral Research Chairs is funded through the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Newton Fund and delivered on the UK side by the British Council. This activity contributes to the Newton Fund’s work in building research and innovation partnerships with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support economic development and social welfare, tackle global challenges and develop talent and careers.

South Africa - University Staff Doctoral Programme

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

South Africa - University Staff Doctoral Programme is funded through the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Newton Fund and delivered on the UK side by the British Council. This activity contributes to the Newton Fund’s work in building research and innovation partnerships with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support economic development and social welfare, tackle global challenges and develop talent and careers.

DfE NI - GCRF QR funding

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Grant to Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland to enable Northern Irish higher education institutes to carry out pre-agreed ODA-eligible activities in line with their institutional strategies. For Queen’s University Belfast in FY2019/20 this included: workshops in Cambodia, Vietnam, South Africa, and Uganda about health and education; 11 pilot projects spanning 16 eligible countries (Angola, Burundi, China, Colombia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe); and additional support to GCRF and NF-funded activities. For Ulster University in FY2019/20 funding supported six pump-priming projects on: LMIC maternal, neonatal and child health; PTSD in Rwanda; Decision-Making in Policy Making in Africa and Central Asia; and hearing impairment and dementia in China.

HEFCW - GCRF QR funding

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Additional GCRF funding to the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales to support Welsh higher education institutes (HEIs) to carry out ODA-eligible activities in line with their institutional strategies. ODA research grants do not represent the full economic cost of research and therefore additional funding is provided to Welsh HEIs in line with their research council grant income. In FY19/20 funding was allocated to Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff University and Swansea University. In FY19/20, the funding was used to fund: the full economic cost of existing ODA eligible activities (e.g. already funded by GCRF); small ODA-eligible projects; fellowships to ODA-eligible researchers; and to increase collaboration and impact. 53 ODA-eligible countries have been reported as benefiting from the funded work, with Brazil and India the most frequently mentioned. By region, the largest number of projects were based in the LDC’s (Least Developed Countries) in Asia, South America, and East Africa, with only a few projects in the middle-income countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia.

ODA BEIS analysts - cross-cutting for both ODA funds

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

ODA BEIS analysts. For the monitoring and evaluation and learning for NF and GCRF

SFC - GCRF QR funding

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Formula GCRF funding to the Scottish Funding Council to support Scottish higher education institutes (HEIs) to carry out ODA-eligible activities in line with their three-year institutional strategies. ODA research grants do not represent the full economic cost of research and therefore additional funding is provided to Scottish HEIs in proportion to their Research Excellence Grant (REG). In FY19/20 funding was allocated to 18 Scottish higher education institutes to support existing ODA grant funding and small projects. GCRF has now supported more than 800 projects at Scottish institutions, involving over 80 developing country partners.