Deadline: 01-Aug-2025
The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) has announced a Call for Expressions of Interest (EoI) to select a host organisation for the South African Circular Minerals and Metals Initiative, which will begin in the 2025/26 financial year.
In 2024/25, DSTI introduced three new Circular Economy Initiatives focused on advancing science, technology, and innovation (STI) in South Africa. These include the South African Circular Agriculture Initiative (hosted by UFS), the South African Circular Manufacturing Initiative (hosted by NCPC-SA), and the South African Circular Minerals and Metals Initiative, for which the current call is issued.
The goal is to find a host organisation capable of driving and coordinating STI for a circular economy in the minerals and metals sector. The initiative aims to build national capacity, reduce duplication, foster excellence, attract co-funding, and strengthen collaboration with the private sector.
Three STI priority areas have been identified: resource security, resource efficiency, and source diversification. This involves improving monitoring of critical raw materials, reducing resource use and mining waste, and enhancing recovery and recycling from waste streams.
The selected host organisation will receive an initial funding of R1,500,000 (excluding VAT) for one year after contract finalisation.
Eligible applicants must be South African public research organisations such as universities or science councils. NGOs, businesses, and private sector bodies are not eligible.
Applicants must demonstrate technical and programme management expertise, ideally with over five years of experience in circular minerals and metals research or administration, and be capable of quickly implementing SACMMI activities.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the organisation’s public research status, team strength, strategic alignment, leadership, partnerships, relevant experience, potential co-funding, and technical field expertise.
All EoIs must follow the specified file naming format, be submitted before the deadline, and be signed by authorised personnel. Submissions via platforms like WeTransfer or Google Drive will not be accepted, and any EoI sent to the wrong address or location will be disqualified.
For more information, visit DSTI.
