Deadline: December 30, 2025
Applications are open for the Harvard University Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa 2025/2026. The Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa is made possible by a generous gift from the Motsepe Foundation. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research will administer the Fund together with the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, in collaboration with the Center for African Studies.
The primary purpose of the Fund is to support faculty-led and student-driven research projects that focus on advancing key challenges and opportunities facing Africa, including, but not limited to, the following areas:
- emerging technologies and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
- climate change and its effect on health, livelihoods, agriculture, water, and/or sanitation
- renewable energy and its benefit to infrastructure and/or society
- health
- aging
- materials science
- governance and policies needed for an entrepreneurial economy
Special consideration will be given to projects that propose multidisciplinary collaboration between Harvard faculty across more than one School and/or that include collaboration with Africa-based academics, and proposals that integrate the arts and humanities into STEM projects (STEAM).
Benefits
- The maximum award amount is $150,000.
Eligibility
- Applications are invited from individuals who hold a faculty appointment at a Harvard School and who have principal investigator rights at that School. Harvard Medical School faculty must hold a faculty appointment with PI rights in one of HMS’s basic or social science departments. Faculty may request support for Harvard postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates.
- Individuals who are principal investigators on an active Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa award will not be funded. Previous awardees are invited to apply for a new project, provided their prior award cycle has concluded.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of academic merit, feasibility, and their anticipated advancement of the objectives of the Fund. They must meet at least one of the following three criteria, with priority given to those projects that meet more than one criterion:
- Focus on Africa
- Include meaningful collaboration with Africa-based academics
- Be undertaken in Africa in whole or in part
Application
You will be asked to submit the following information and documentation:
- Contact information for principal investigator and any co-investigators or collaborators.
- Single paragraph summary of proposal (150 words maximum)
- Proposal of up to 1,000 words that succinctly describes the proposed research project, its significance and expected impact, and any proposed collaboration with Africa-based academics or researchers. An additional field will be provided for inclusion of no more than two additional pages of supplemental information (citations, images, etc.). The faculty review committee is comprised of members hailing from various disciplines, which may or may not include that of the applicant. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit proposals demonstrating impact in a manner comprehensible to a highly educated lay audience.
- CV of no more than 3 pages for each PI, co-investigator, and collaborator. If funding is requested for postdoctoral scholar(s) or graduate student(s), please also include a CV for each such individual. Biosketches are not permitted.
- Project budget must be provided using the form available in the application. Applicants must also use the budget justification form provided to explain each budget item.
- Attestation by an appropriate representative (e.g., academic dean, department chair, administrative director) of the applicant’s department or division, that:
- their department and/or division supports the application, and agrees to manage the project if awarded (details provided in application portal)
- if salary support is requested, this has been approved by the relevant persons (see below for additional information)
- Letters of support or collaboration are unnecessary, and are not permitted.
For more information, visit Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa.
