South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI)

The South African Research Chairs Initiative of the NRF will create 15 new Research Chairs in 2009 towards the ultimate goal of 210 Chairs by 2010.

The Initiative is a strategically focused knowledge and human resource intervention that has five interrelated objectives:
1. To increase the number of world class researchers in South Africa,
2. To retain and/or attract back qualified research scientists to the Higher Education sector and thereby:
a. To help reverse the systemic decline in research outputs, focus and capacity at publicly funded higher education institutions (HEIs), Science Councils and other research institutions,
b. To strengthen and improve the capacity of HEIs, Science Councils, Musea and other research institutions (e.g., University linked Teaching Hospitals) to generate and apply new knowledge,
3. To stimulate strategic research across the knowledge spectrum and thereby increase the level of excellence in research areas of national and international importance,
4. To create research career pathways for highly skilled, high quality young and mid-career researchers that effectively addresses historical racial, gender and age imbalances,
5. To improve and accelerate the training of highly qualified personnel through research.

The aim of the Initiative is to make South Africa competitive in the international knowledge economy based on its existing and potential strengths.

Call for pre-proposals for South African Research Chairs to be awarded to candidates undertaking research relevant to the South African Square Kilometre Array – 2010/11

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is calling for pre-proposals for South African Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Research Chairs under the SARChI banner. The closing date for pre-proposals is 30 September 2009. A briefing session will take place on 19 August 2009 at the South African SKA Offices in Rosebank, Johannesburg from 10:00 -12:30.
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