South Africa Circular Economy Science, Technology and Innovation Grant (DSTI/CISA)
Expired – · Found: 2026-03-13 16:41
South African government circular economy research grant up to R2 million for up to 3 years. Supports research and innovation in circular economy across agriculture, manufacturing, and mining. Eligible for universities, science councils, and research institutions focused on waste elimination and material reuse.
Source: https://www.circulareconomy.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CE-STI-Grant_Open-RDI-Call-2025.pdf
Funding Details
- Funder
- Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) / Circular Innovation South Africa (CISA) / CSIR
- Funding Goal
- Supporting research and development in circular economy across agriculture, manufacturing, and mining sectors in South Africa, including resource efficiency, circular product design, remanufacturing, and regenerative approaches that eliminate waste and pollution.
- Funding Amount
- Grant proposals must be <= R2,000,000 (excl. VAT) for up to 3 years. Total funding available is limited and process is expected to be highly competitive.
- Deadline
- 2026-01-01 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Apply according to the Call for Proposals documentation available at https://www.circulareconomy.co.za. Projects must commence January 2026. See the SA Circular Economy STI Strategy at https://www.circulareconomy.co.za/about/ce-sti-strategy/
- Target Region
- South Africa
- Contact
- Circular Innovation South Africa (CISA) / CSIR. Website: https://www.circulareconomy.co.za
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-13 17:27
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The South African Circular Economy Science, Technology and Innovation (CE STI) Grant is a competitive research grant of up to R2 million per project (up to 3 years), funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and managed by Circular Innovation South Africa (CISA) and the CSIR. The call was announced in June 2025 with projects intended to commence in January 2026. The grant supports research and innovation aligned with South Africa's Circular Economy STI Strategy (2024-2034) across three priority economic sectors: agriculture (resource efficiency, regenerative agriculture, agro-processing, biorefinery), manufacturing (resource efficiency, circular product design, advanced manufacturing, remanufacturing), and mining (resource security, critical minerals, urban mining). All proposals must address at least one of these sectors. Only researchers at South African public universities, science councils, and public research institutions are eligible to apply. Principal investigators must be established academic experts, and proposals that include postgraduate student training are given preference. Students supported must be South African citizens or permanent residents. This grant is specifically for research and development — not for NGOs implementing projects. For plastic-circular organizations, the grant is relevant as it funds research into circular economy for manufacturing and waste reduction that could generate applicable knowledge and technologies for plastic recycling value chains in South Africa.
Historical Context
The Circular Economy STI Strategy (2024-2034) was published by DSTI in 2024. This is the 2025 Call for Proposals under the strategy, with projects commencing January 2026. Call document published June 2025.
Sources
Similar Programs
| Program | Source | Shared Tags |
|---|---|---|
| LIFE Programme 2025-2027 Multi-Annual Work Programme (Official Document) | EU | 8 |
| DevelopmentAid - DANIDA Grants Search Portal | Nordic | 7 |
| DBU General Project Funding - Environmental Protection | Foundation | 7 |
| SWITCH to Circular Economy in Eastern and Southern Africa | International | 7 |
| Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027 | EU | 7 |