The Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town offers an array of research support and opportunities designed to foster academic excellence and social transformation. These include access to specialized research centres, interdisciplinary collaborations, and funding avenues such as internal grants and external partnerships. Additionally, UCT provides comprehensive support services, including research development workshops, mentorship programmes, and assistance with grant applications. The faculty also encourages postgraduate research through structured programmes and offers networking opportunities with national and international scholars. These initiatives collectively aim to enhance the research capabilities of students and staff, contributing to impactful scholarship across various disciplines.
Block Grants Awards
The aim of the Faculty of Humanities URC Block Grant distribution model is to support research projects that advance publication output and postgraduate supervision within the Faculty. The model is designed to address the prospective research needs of applicants, as articulated in a short research proposal and budget. All awards are transferred to the recipient’s URC fund and must be used solely for research-related purposes.
Only the following are eligible to apply:
Permanent UCT academic staff
Emeritus Professors and Emeritus Associate Professors
Current Honorary Research Associates and Honorary Professors
As past performance serves as a useful indicator of future research productivity, applicants are evaluated on the basis of their past publications (as reported on the eRA system) and successfully graduated research students, in addition to the submitted research proposal and budget, using a formula similar to the one employed by the URC in its macro-allocation of the Block Grant to Faculties. The applicant's contribution to the total number of output units assigned to the entire Faculty of Humanities applicants is assessed and used as a guide in determining the size of the grant to be awarded to achieve the specified research objectives.
For staff members who have been at UCT for three years or more the unit allocation is the average of their per annum unit allocation for the previous three years of the cycle. For staff who have been at UCT for two years their unit allocation is the average of their per annum unit allocation for the previous two years. For staff members who have been at UCT for one year the unit allocation is the unit allocation for that year.
Academic staff in their first year of employment at UCT are encouraged to apply for a URC Start-Up Grant, as only outputs published while affiliated with UCT are eligible for consideration. The start-up grant application form is available online here.
For more details about the Block Grant award and the application form, click here.
Limited Research Support Funding
Limited financial support is available to staff and student researchers in the Faculty of Humanities to promote equity and excellence in research output and dissemination, and to expand the Faculty’s research footprint nationally and internationally.
This scheme primarily provides limited top-up funding. It is intended to supplement existing research awards, not to serve as a primary source of project funding. Applicants must therefore demonstrate that other sources of funding are already secured and that a specific shortfall remains which cannot be met from those funds. Applications should clearly identify the main funding source and justify the need for supplementary support.
Applicants should include a brief description of the research for which support is sought, together with a full budget showing that the main source of funding remains active yet inadequate for essential research requirements, and that the requested top-up avoids duplication of costs already covered by the primary grant. The Faculty must be satisfied that there is a clear and time-bound plan for using the funds. Include all relevant supporting documents.
Applicants are not eligible for more than one research support award within a single year.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with the Faculty endeavouring to provide a decision within two weeks. Assessment criteria include research merit, justification of need, feasibility of proposed expenditure and timeline, and alignment with the Faculty’s Research Strategy.
Typical uses may include, but are not limited to, partial coverage of:
Conference participation
Research events
Fieldwork, archival, or data collection expenses
Research assistance.
This support does not include:
Article processing charges in open access journals or page cost subsidy. [Applicants are encouraged to approach the University Research Committee Open Access Journal Publication Fund for support in this regard and consult the Deputy Dean of Research and Internationalisation in advance.]
Purchase of equipment, software licences or analytical tools [Applicants are advised to watch for upcoming calls from the University Equipment Committee related to this matter.]
Writing retreats
Grant application development [Applicants are encouraged to explore the UCT Enabling Grant Seeker Excellence Awards.
Salaries or stipends of any kind.
Recipients are required to submit a brief report to hum-dean@uct.ac.za within 20 working days of the project's completion, summarizing outcomes and expenditures. Any unspent funds must be returned to the Faculty.
Please send your application, accompanied by all relevant supporting documents, to the Deputy Dean of Research and Internationalisation.
The Emerging Researcher Award
The Emerging Researcher Award is offered in recognition of outstanding scholarly work by young and emerging researchers based in the Faculty of Humanities who have made significant independent contributions to research in their field. In particular, the award seeks to recognise and reward research that contributes to some of the key strategic goals in the faculty – including research that enhances scholarship on Africa and the Global South; and scholarship that reflects critical engagement with local and global struggles for social and economic justice and sustainable development.
The call for applications usually goes out in November every year on the HUM-Everyone list. Access the current call here.
Past Recipients:
2024: Dr Xolisa Guzula (School of Education) and Dr Athambile Masola (Department of Historical Studies).
2023: Dr Viraj Suparsad (Centre for Film and Media Studies).
Special mention: Dr Jane Frances Kelly (Centre for Social Science Research).
2022: Dr Portia Malatjie (Michaelis School of Fine Arts) and Dr Stephané Huigen-Conradie (Michaelis School of Fine Arts).
2021: Dr Jeffrey Murray (School of Languages and Literatures)
2020: Dr Faisal Garba Muhammed (Department of Sociology)
2019: Dr Ryan Nefdt (Department of Philosophy).
Seed funding for third-stream income generating projects
The Faculty of Humanities wishes to support initiatives from staff members and academic units aimed at generating independent income beyond traditional government funding or student tuition fees. A limited amount of seed funding is available to cover the early-stage expenses in developing innovative projects that combine community or professional engagement with long-term sustainability. Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, the development and delivery of specialized courses and training programmes for targeted audiences, the creation of commercially viable digital research products, and the provision of structured research or consulting services for external parties.
Applications from interested academics must include the following:
Project Description: A detailed account of the proposed initiative, outlining its goals, deliverables, and timelines. The description should clearly identify the intended audience and include a brief review of existing or competing alternatives, where applicable.
Budget: A comprehensive budget specifying all resources required for the successful completion and delivery of the project.
Team Composition: A list of all staff members involved, indicating their respective roles, titles, and the proportion of time they will dedicate to the project. Please specify whether each participant is a current GOB or non-GOB employee.
Departmental Endorsement: A letter of support from the Head of Department confirming the relevance and feasibility of the proposed initiative.
Applications are accepted by the Deputy Dean of Research and Internationalisation on a rolling basis, with the Faculty Executive endeavouring to provide a decision within three weeks. Additional consultations may be scheduled following the receipt of applications.
Professor Harry Garuba Scholarships and Fellowships in Critical Humanities
Call for Applications
Closing date: 31 January 2026
In loving memory of Professor Harry Garuba, the Faculty of Humanities is pleased to introduce, for 2026, a special, one-time suite of 15 scholarships and fellowships, spanning Honours to postdoctoral levels, designed to support and enhance quality research across its diverse disciplines.
Professor Harry Garuba was an internationally celebrated writer, poet, and scholar whose brilliance illuminated the field of African literature and postcolonial thought. A visionary committed to decolonizing knowledge and reimagining the study of Africa, he left an enduring legacy within the university and beyond. As Director of the School of African and Gender Studies, Anthropology and Linguistics, and later as Acting Dean of the Faculty, Professor Garuba led with rare wisdom, compassion, and intellectual courage. His leadership embodied a deep commitment to fostering a truly transformed university – one grounded in African identity and humanistic inquiry. Renowned for his warmth, generosity, and devotion to his students, Professor Garuba inspired generations of thinkers to pursue critical and creative scholarship. The Harry Garuba Scholarships and Fellowships in Critical Humanities stands as a tribute to his extraordinary life, his enduring scholarship, and his transformative contributions to the humanities.
These fellowships aim to provide targeted financial and academic resources enabling exceptional postgraduate students from diverse backgrounds to pursue research projects that are methodologically innovative, empirically rigorous and conceptually compelling.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for:
6 One-year Honours Scholarships @ 180,000.
4 Two-year Research Master’s Scholarships @ 240,000 p.a.
3 Three-year PhD Scholarships @ 300,000 p.a.
2 One-year Postdoctoral Fellowships @ 350,000.
Please note:
All scholarships are conditional on awardees registering for and maintaining full-time enrolment in the relevant postgraduate programmes in the Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town.
The award may not be held concurrently with any other scholarship, fellowship, award, bursary, stipend or salary. remuneration for tutoring in a Humanities department is exempted.
An awardee must commence and utilise the scholarship in the year(s) for which the scholarship has been offered. Commencement of scholarships cannot be deferred to a following year.
Research projects supported by these scholarships/ fellowships are not expected to change significantly during the duration of the award, i.e., from the research project specified in the application and for which the scholarship is awarded. Any such changes must be communicated with and agreed by the Faculty, before implementation thereof.
All awardees will be required to submit detailed reports of academic progress at the end of every semester with signed comments by supervisors/ mentors, upon the approval of which the amount of scholarship for the next semester will be released.
All awardees will be required to present their work at the Faculty’s annual research events.
All Honours awardees are encouraged to, and all Research Master’s awardees are required to, provide proof of submission of at least one single-authored article in peer-reviewed publications in DHET-accredited journals within six months of the submission of their thesis. All PhD awardees are required to provide proof of submission of at least one single-authored article in peer-reviewed publications in DHET-accredited journals in either year two or year three of the fellowship. All Postdoctoral awardees are required to provide proof of submission of at least one single-authored article in peer-reviewed publications in DHET-accredited journals in the year of the fellowship.
All awardees must acknowledge the contribution of the source of funding when, at any time during or after completion of the programme, they produce or publish materials such as dissertations, books, articles, conference presentations, exhibitions, films, podcasts, videos, or other digital, printed and artistic works which relate to the research project for which the scholarship/ fellowship has been awarded.
Awardees are expected to reside in Cape Town throughout the duration of their awards, and to seek approval from the Faculty in writing in advance for any local or overseas travel or research trip extending over two weeks.
The awards may be terminated at any time for reasons of unsatisfactory conduct, progress, or attendance, or if an awardee’s registration is suspended or terminated by the University for any reason.
The awardees will be required to return to the Faculty the full amount of scholarship disbursed if any of the above conditions are not met, and/or if the degree for which the scholarship has been awarded is not completed.
All terms and conditions are subject to compliance with relevant policies, procedures and practices at the University of Cape Town.
Application Procedure:
Suitable candidates are required to email the following documents in a single PDF by 31 January 2026 to hum-dean@uct.ac.za with the subject-header “Application for Garuba Fellowship.”
A letter of motivation from the scholar of no more than 2 single-spaced pages.
A research proposal appropriate to the programme of study.
One single-authored, original writing sample of no more than 4000 words.
A complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae.
Recommendation letters from two academic referees, including one from the (current or prospective) supervisor/ mentor presently based at a Humanities department in UCT.
Full transcripts of academic record and copies of all degree certificates.
Copy of ID document (or copies of passport and study visa in the case of foreign applicants).
If applicable, documents demonstrating financial need.
All applications will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary committee constituted for this purpose, including the Dean, the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Funding, and the Deputy Dean of Research and Internationalisation. The committee will weigh the quality, innovativeness, and scholarly merit of the proposed research with equal regard to equity, diversity, demonstrated financial need and inclusion, aiming to ensure that awards are fairly represented across different disciplines. The academic units are advised to coordinate their recommendations internally.
For more information, please feel free to contact: bodhisattva.kar@uct.ac.za
Last updated: November 2025.