Incentive-based grant support
Boosting International Grant Submissions: Insights from University of Cape Town’s HUGS Initiative
Conference
Format: Poster
Topic: 5. Proposal, Award and Project Management
Abstract
In line with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s strategic plan to increase and diversify international funding across faculties, the Helping UCT Grant Seekers (HUGS) initiative was launched as a strategic measure to enhance international funding for research. This case study explores how the HUGS initiative was created to encourage international grant proposal submissions and strengthen research capacity within the Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Law. The key point addressed is: How can incentive-based support programmes improve international grant submission rates and build sustainable research management within faculties?
The Faculty of Humanities, UCT’s second-largest faculty by researcher count but chronically underfunded, was the first recipient of this initiative. Through the HUGS for Humanities programme, two grant-writing workshops were held in 2020, with subsequent support provided for proposal submissions. This resulted in 15 international grant submissions totalling over R105 million (€5.4 million), with R540,000 (€28,000) awarded as internal UCT grant-seeker incentives.
Building on this success, the initiative was extended to UCT’s Faculty of Law, the university's smallest faculty where international grant-seeking activity was historically low. The HUGS for Law initiative, launched in 2023, provided tailored workshops and resources, leading to the submission of eight international grant proposals, totalling R32.2 million (€1.67 million), with R440,000 (€22,775) awarded in internal HUGS incentive funding. Both initiatives have streamlined proposal management and promoted sustainable research practices through incentive-based support.
The outcomes of the HUGS initiative indicate that targeted, incentive-based support programmes can play an important role in building research capacity and fostering sustainable research management. These findings have broader implications for how research management offices can support faculties in seeking international funding. While HUGS primarily aimed to boost grant submissions, it also laid the groundwork for improved research support practices, indirectly benefiting sustainable research management. Moving forward, we will continue refining our approach to capacity-building strategies by tailoring training and resources to help researchers remain competitive in the international grant funding landscape.