Internal Funding Opportunity: Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa

The Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa is made possible by a generous gift from the Motsepe Foundation. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research will administer the Fund together with the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, in collaboration with the Center for African Studies.

The primary purpose of the Fund is to support faculty-led and student-driven research projects that focus on advancing key challenges and opportunities facing Africa – whether it be emerging technologies and the Fourth Industrial Revolution; climate change and its effect on health, agriculture, water, and/or sanitation; renewable energy and its benefit to infrastructure and/or society; health; aging; materials science; and the governance and policies needed for an entrepreneurial economy. Activities the Fund may support include but are not limited to research; associated travel costs; and the publication and dissemination of findings.

Special consideration will also be given to projects that propose multidisciplinary collaboration between Harvard faculty across more than one school and Africa-based academics. An article about the 2025 awardees in The Harvard Gazette can be seen here.

Applications for the AY 2026 award will open October 6, 2025 and close December 8, 2025. A copy of the 2026 RFP is available for download here.

Please contact Lindsay Moats, lmoats@fas.harvard.edu for any questions regarding the Motsepe Fund.

Please note that this fund is only open to Harvard faculty members.