Deadline: 07-Aug-2025
The Strategic International Collaborative Research Program is inviting applications for the Africa-Japan Collaborative Research (AJ-CORE) initiative. This program supports joint research and innovation projects between researchers from Japan, South Africa, and 17 African countries participating in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI). The focus is on designated fields of science, with projects driven by local needs and designed to create meaningful impact.
Consortia must consist of at least three research organizations or practitioners—one each from South Africa, Japan, and an SGCI African country. These collaborative proposals should align with the goals of building research capacity, driving sustainable development, and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AJ-CORE emphasizes co-developing knowledge to support policy change and social transformation.
Research proposals should address complex social, economic, and environmental challenges through integrated, system-oriented approaches. Projects must have potential for national or regional impact and demonstrate a clear path to influencing policy and improving community well-being.
The total funding available is $1,957,000 USD. Country-specific funding includes P3,450,000 in Botswana (up to P1,150,000 per project), 25,000,000 ETB in Ethiopia (up to 5,000,000 ETB per project), 109,200,000 JPY in Japan (up to 18,200,000 JPY per project), $90,000 in Kenya (up to $45,000 per project), and R12,240,000 in South Africa (up to R2,040,000 per project). The funding will support up to five large-scale projects for a maximum of 36 months.
Eligible costs include research activities, travel, postgraduate research placements, equipment, seminars, capacity building, scholarships, and dissemination efforts. All projects must include institutions from South Africa, Japan, and an SGCI African country. Projects submitted by only Japanese and South African researchers will not be eligible.
Consortia may include additional partners from public or private sectors as Associated Partners, though these partners cannot receive funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF) or Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
South African principal investigators must be PhD holders affiliated with public higher education or research institutions. Private institutions, SMEs, and NGOs may participate in consortia but cannot lead projects. Applications from South Africa must be submitted through the NRF.
Japanese principal investigators must be independent researchers affiliated with domestic Japanese research institutions. They must complete a research ethics training program and declare it to JST. Failure to complete this requirement will render an application ineligible.
Proposals will be evaluated based on transparency, equal treatment, and adherence to ethical standards. Any proposal violating these principles may be excluded at any point in the selection process.
For more information, visit SICORP.
