CPRR Funding Application Guidelines
(please also refer to the NRF Guide Document)
Write your application against the NRF assessment criteria which are as follow:
Criterion
Description
Ethics
Ethical research
If relevant, have ethical considerations been addressed?
Proposal
Alignment with funding instrument
Is the applicant rated?
Does the proposal meet the objectives of the funding instrument?
Scientific merit and feasibility
Reflect on the rationale, approach and proposed methodology.
Issues to consider
NRF %
Weighting
Proposal Writing tips (based on NRF
requirements and observed pitfalls)
Hurdle Please refer to the document on “Guidance
for Preparing an Ethics Statement in the NRF
Submission Form” at
http://goo.gl/tspPxD
Hurdle The objectives of the funding instrument are:
 To contribute to the development of a
sound fundamental basis to science and
scholarly endeavour in South Africa, in
the Humanities, Natural and Social
Science disciplines;
 To contribute to knowledge production
across the research spectrum and
innovation value chain;
 To achieve world-class research and the
development of the associated human
capacity; and
 To advance or develop paradigms,
theories and methodological innovation
across the research spectrum.
55% for CPRR
60% for Y1
Criterion
Description

Is the problem statement well defined in terms of its novelty?
i.e. has the researcher made a case for the novel research
problem to be addressed?

Is the conceptual/theoretical framework (embedded in current
literature) clearly articulated? If embedded in current
literature then the applicant must provide a review of current
literature.
NRF %
Weighting
Proposal Writing tips (based on NRF
requirements and observed pitfalls)
rated grant 



Are the research objectives clearly defined, stated and aligned
to the problem statement?

The research problem should address the
relevance of the research issue (i.e. in
terms of the national relevance) but
more importantly the problem statement
needs to address the novelty of the
research in terms of advancing the
knowledge area/discipline.
All relevant literature must be provided.
You need to show that what to
addressing is not already in the literature
or if that you are asking different
questions/taking a different perspective
etc.
Your research must be embedded in a
conceptual/theoretical framework. Very
often this is stated implicitly and not
explicitly in the proposal. My suggestion
is that you should say: The overarching
framework of my research is……(just one
or two sentences would do).
Remember that your research objectives
must fit into the overarching frameworkif too diffuse then the application will fail.
Research objectives should address what
you are trying to better understand and
not what you will do (these are research
activities). Research objectives should
start with To explore, to investigate, to
2
Criterion
Description


Are the research activities well composed (in detail i.e.
timeframes, responsibilities, incl Postgrad students etc and
required infrastructure-either existing or new) to make an
informed assessment of their appropriateness to achieve the
research objectives?
Are the research approaches/methods/techniques detailed to
allow the expert reviewer to make an informed assessment of
their appropriateness and novelty? The NRF also wants the
researcher to indicate how the data/information will be
analysed.
NRF %
Weighting
Proposal Writing tips (based on NRF
requirements and observed pitfalls)

develop etc and not (as an example)
Undertake lab/field studies- this is a
research activity.
Research activities should be detailed
and must talk to the research objectivesit should answer the “How” will these
research objectives be achieved.

The collaborators should also be
reflected in the workplan.

Please remember that postgraduate
students must be embedded in the
workplan section especially if you are
asking for student bursaries. Also make
sure that the number of bursaries
requested actually corresponds to the
number of students embedded in the
workplan.
The research methods/approach is an
important aspect of the application.
Many applications fail on this because
researchers assume that the reviewers
will know what they plan to do. Yes the
reviewers are experts but they want to
see the details. So assume an uninformed
but an intelligent reader. For interviewsexplain your population, sample size,

3
Criterion
Track Record of
Applicant
Description
Has the researcher listed its research outputs appropriately?
Has the researcher listed its postgrad student output including
their race and gender?
Human Resource
Development
Has the researcher detailed how HRD is embedded in the
proposed research?
NRF %
Weighting
Proposal Writing tips (based on NRF
requirements and observed pitfalls)
survey methods etc. Don’t be afraid to
defend your methodology / approaches /
techniques, so that the NRF is aware that
you have thought this through.
13% for CPRR Please ensure that your name appears in all
the publications- the NRF removed the first
5% for Y-rated author field- so if it was only included in this
grant field then it will not appear in the output.
Please also include all relevant details, such
as page numbers, etc.
Please check that the full list is provided, and
that all information is provided
Not weighted
but taken into
account in
terms of the
feasibility of
the workplan
Summarise the number of postgraduate
students to be embedded in the proposed
research and summarise your current and
past track record of M and D students (to
show that you have experience).
Also explain how the team members will
develop especially if early-stage researchers
are involved or if external participants are
involved in the research (e.g. local
communities etc). State how those involved
with the project will advance their research
career – i.e. What research skills will this
project provide them with?
4
Criterion
Description
Equity and Redress
Track record of M and D students trained/being trained
Collaboration on
Research Project
Note from research
office- the NRF
encourages
collaboration if
relevant. If the
project is broad in
scope and covers
research areas
outside of your
expertise- then it is
strongly
recommended that
you include
How well has the researcher motivated for the research
collaborations within the core team-both nationally and
internationally in order to meet the study's objectives? Are their
roles clearly articulated?
How well has the researcher motivated for the research
collaborations outside of the core the team-both nationally and
internationally in order to meet the study's objectives? Are their
roles clearly articulated?
NRF %
Weighting
Proposal Writing tips (based on NRF
requirements and observed pitfalls)
5% If you have a track record- summarise your
past and current students in terms of race
and gender.
If students are already part of the research in
the proposal- state their race and gender.
If not, then explain your plans on how you
will recruit black and female students e.g.
scout the undergraduate classes for star
students etc. It is advisable to be explicit
when explaining how you plan to address
equity and redress within the project. Explain
this in the proposal.
4% for CPRR Do not list students here.
Please ensure that these people are listed in
9% for Y-rated the workplan under the research activities
grant section as well and that they are listed in the
proposal under Participating members. They
should be listed as co-investigators (i.e.
researchers active in the conceptualisation
and implementation of the research- they
will receive an email from the NRF system to
confirm their participation-please ensure that
they have confirmed).
Do not list students here.
Please ensure that these people are listed in
the workplan under the research activities
section as well and that they are listed in the
5
Criterion
Description
NRF %
Weighting
collaborations.
Expected Outputs
Has the researcher given a clear indication of the research outputs
e.g. publications etc?
Has the researcher clearly indicated how the research will advance
discovery and understanding in the field?
proposal under Participating members. They
should be listed as collaborators. The roles
of the collaborators should be made very
clear. State what value they add to the
project.
6% for CPRR Please ensure that you are specific- provide
number of publications- which journals will
4% for Y-rated be targeted or conferences etc
10% Provide a brief summary here, but it is very
important that it is addressed explicitly.
Has the researcher clearly indicated it plans for digital data
storage/usage and/or dissemination?
Budget
Is the budget well motivated in line with the NRF's requirements
and against the workplan? Check that the budget is aligned to the
research activities and if students are embedded in the workplan
especially if bursaries are requested.
Proposal Writing tips (based on NRF
requirements and observed pitfalls)
2% Address all three aspects.
n/a
Please see budget guidelines below and
pages 11 of the NRF Guide.
The most important thing to remember is
that the budget must be aligned to the
activities in the workplan. E.g. if you are
planning to do lab experiments only do not
ask for field work costs.
Do not inflate the amounts, they must be
realistic.
Refer to page 11 of the NRF Guide for more details regarding the budget guidelines
Budget item
General Material and Supplies
Tips for motivations
Please do not provide lump sum amounts- provide breakdown of costs and add them as
individual items. E.g. Don’t ask for R100k for lab consumables- break it down to reagents for X,
6
If you are asking for things not allowed by the NRF as per
their budget guidelines- provide a strong motivation
Sample analyses etc
Domestic travelling cost for field work – these must be
part of the workplan
Local and international conferences- the NRF has a limit
per person
Research visits
Technical/Ad hoc/ research assistance
Research equipment
glassware for Y etc
e.g. Computers and laptops can be motivated for if the research is a desktop study, computer
science, mathematical modelling etc study or if the research requires data to be collected and
entered into a computer onsite in the field
e.g. telephone costs, stationery etc can be motivation for if the work entails telephonic
surveys, printing of questionnaires etc, but this must be stated clearly in the motivation
Indicate how many samples and cost per sample
Provide number of field trips (with destinations). Mileage to be travelled and cost per km (use
UCT’s rates)
Accommodation- say how many nights at 3 star-hotel and give cost per night for how many
people
S&T- state how many people X how many days X rate per day
State which conferences if known or which ones envisaged if not known at this stage
Use the NRF’s limit but provide an indication of what these amounts will cover e.g. for local
conferences the NRF limit is R5k per person. So in the motivation state: X number of people (Y
researchers and Z students) will attend. Costs that will be covered include: R3,000 for
flights/travel, R1,000 for accommodation and R1,000 for registration fee.
These must be embedded in the workplan- State here the purpose of the visit and details
thereof. Provide a breakdown of costs for flight, accommodation (X nights at Y cost per night),
etc
The NRF will not pay for salaries. You must first use Postgraduate students to do the research.
However, if the research activity requires specialised expertise and skills that postgrad
students or your team members do not have these, then you can ask for funding for this
category. A strong motivation must accompany this request. A breakdown of expenses is also
required e.g. Translator for translating interviews at 40 hours per year at R2000 per hour. Be
aware that the NRF will NOT fund administrative support.
Do not ask for student top-up bursaries here. The NRF will not grant bursary top-ups upfront.
If you successful in securing funding- you can then use of your running expenses for bursarytops. Up to R20,000 per student receiving a NRF bursary.
It must be clear from the workplan that this equipment is needed. Provide a motivation here
again. Do not lump pieces of equipment together under one line item. Ask for them
individually with a strong motivation and cost per item. If costs high (say more that R50k- it is
good to provide a quote to justify the amount). Equipment requests exceeding R 200 000 per
7
Sabbaticals
proposal will not be considered.
Provide a strong motivation for the sabbatical, how it will add value to the research project
and provide a breakdown of the costs requested.
8