Capacity-building workshops are broadening participation in biodiversity research funding

A series of regional capacity-building workshops run by the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) Foundational Biodiversity Information Programme (FBIP) is showing encouraging early signs of growing engagement. Participation from Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) rose from 3.7% of applications in the 2025 second funding call to 19.1% in the 2026 second funding call, a more than five-fold increase.

Over the same period, the total number of applications received through the programme grew by 74.1%, from 27 to 47, suggesting wider awareness of FBIP and stronger engagement from the research community. Some 2026 funding outcomes are still under review, and the programme team notes that it is too early to assess long-term impact. The early indicators nonetheless suggest that targeted engagement is helping more researchers take part.

Responding to a participation gap

The workshops grew out of a discussion at an FBIP Panel meeting in 2024, held after the restructuring at the NRF, when the programme was repositioned within the Strategic Science Missions Unit under the leadership of Ms Nocawe Ndayi.

Chaired by retired biodiversity scientist and former FBIP Chair Professor Michelle Hamer, the panel raised concerns about low participation from HDIs and about the quality of applications received. Professor Hamer, together with FBIP Assessor Professor Caswell Munyai and Ms Ndayi, explored practical ways to respond. They agreed that targeted engagement could raise awareness of the programme, help prospective applicants develop more competitive proposals and broaden participation among researchers at HDIs.

The recommendation that followed was to hold capacity-building workshops that would raise awareness of FBIP, strengthen proposal-writing skills and create opportunities for researchers to engage directly with the programme.

A regional approach to reach more researchers

Operational considerations delayed immediate implementation, but planning continued through 2025 and the first workshop series was launched towards the end of that year. The inaugural programme was delivered through four regional workshops that brought together participants from 27 institutions across South Africa. Grouping institutions by region and offering a hybrid participation option allowed the programme to reach a broad audience, while fostering collaboration among researchers, research support staff and Designated Authorities (DAs).

The series has since entered its second year. In 2026, workshops were hosted by the University of Venda, Walter Sisulu University, the University of the Western Cape and Mangosuthu University of Technology. Each brought in neighbouring institutions, among them the University of Limpopo, the University of Mpumalanga, the University of Fort Hare, the Cape

Peninsula University of Technology, the University of Cape Town, the South African National Biodiversity Institute, the University of Zululand, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Durban University of Technology. Together, the sessions drew participants from Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The current FBIP Chair, Professor Emma Steenkamp of the University of Pretoria, and Professor Munyai of the University of KwaZulu-Natal facilitated sessions, shared practical guidance and engaged directly with researchers on how to develop stronger applications. Host institutions provided venues and mobilised researchers to attend, helping participants gain clarity on programme requirements and the application process, and build confidence in preparing funding proposals.

Listening as well as presenting

The workshops also gave FBIP a channel for feedback. Researchers and Designated Authorities spoke openly about the challenges they face in accessing funding, and many described limited awareness and understanding of the programme’s objectives, application requirements and funding calls.

Thulani Mlotshwa, Research Management Coordinator in the Strategic Science Missions Unit, presented analyses of application and funding trends over several funding cycles. The data showed historically low participation by HDIs, with some institutions submitting few or no applications in certain funding categories, and limited success for HDI applicants in securing funding. This gave participants a shared evidence base for discussing the barriers and reinforced the case for continued, targeted support.

What the early numbers show

Because the workshops began towards the end of 2025, the 2026 funding calls offered the first opportunity to look for any influence on application volumes, application quality and HDI participation.

In the first funding call, the Concept Note approval rate rose from 58.3% in 2025 to 62.5% in 2026, an increase of 4.2 percentage points. Two HDI applications were received in each year’s first call. None of the 2025 HDI applications was successful, while one of the two submitted in 2026 was recommended for funding, an HDI success rate of 50.0% and the first HDI project funded through the programme in this comparison. The numbers involved are small, and should be read as early signals rather than settled trends.

The results indicate that when researchers have the information, guidance and support they need, they are better placed to develop competitive proposals and contribute to South Africa’s biodiversity research priorities.

Collaboration across the NRF

The programme team credits cross-unit collaboration for the delivery of the workshops. With the support of Tracy Klarenbeek, Manager: Thematic Grants, Kelebogile Pule joined the initiative and contributed to planning, coordination, stakeholder engagement and delivery at several institutions.

The approach reflects the collaborative leadership encouraged by Dr Zolani Dyosi, Executive Manager for Thematic Research Support and Advancement at the NRF, who promotes teamwork and the use of cross-functional skills to achieve strategic goals. The Strategic Science Missions Unit, led by Jonathan Diederiks, continues to pair research funding with capacity development, stakeholder engagement and transformation-focused initiatives that create opportunities for researchers at HDIs and encourage institutional collaboration.

Looking ahead

As the workshop programme continues to grow, FBIP aims to strengthen participation, improve the quality of applications and increase the number of projects it supports. Future engagements will continue to focus on empowering researchers, building institutional capacity and making opportunities in biodiversity research accessible to a broader and more diverse community of knowledge producers.

What began as a response to concerns about participation and application quality is now an established capacity-development initiative. The early results from the 2026 funding cycle offer encouraging evidence that sustained engagement and partnership can help broaden participation, strengthen applications and widen access to biodiversity research funding.