NRF Thuthuka Funding Instrument 2027: Tracks, Eligibility and How to Apply

The National Research Foundation (NRF) Thuthuka Funding Instrument is a South African research grant for emerging academics and researchers. It is built around three routes: a PhD Track for applicants working toward a doctorate, a Post-PhD Track for researchers developing an independent research profile, and an NRF Rating Track for researchers who have not yet had a fair opportunity to establish themselves and intend to apply for an NRF rating.

Current status: the 2027-funded call is closed

The NRF’s official announcement for the 2027 Thuthuka funding instrument gave 15 April 2026 as the applicant deadline. The 2026 Thuthuka Framework says that a successful grant is approved for a three-year period beginning 1 January 2027 and ending 31 December 2029. Those dates belong to the completed call and are retained in this page as an archive record.

There is no confirmed later deadline to publish. The NRF’s current call page still presents the 2026 Thuthuka Funding Guide, the Institutional Support Form and the track-specific Thuthuka application documents for the 2027-funded round; it does not announce a subsequent cycle. The framework says that the NRF issues an annual call, but that policy statement is not a new opening notice. Applicants should therefore treat this page as preparation and reference material, not as an open application window. Do not submit an application against an old call or assume that the next deadline will fall on the same day.

At a glance

What the funding pays for

The 2026 framework separates equipment from running expenses. Research equipment has a maximum NRF contribution of R50,000 per year. Running expenses have a maximum NRF contribution of R100,000 per year in total, even though the framework gives separate limits for individual categories. The applicant’s institution must match the NRF amount awarded for running expenses at a 1:1 ratio.

The supported running-expense categories and their individual ceilings are:

• International conference: up to R50,000 per year.
• Local conference: up to R20,000 per year.
• Local travel: up to R20,000 per year.
• Hardware and supplies, including materials and supplies: up to R100,000 per year.
• Research, technical or ad hoc assistants: up to R20,000 per year.
• Visiting scientists: up to R50,000 per year.
• Science engagement: up to R10,000 per year.

These category ceilings do not add up to an automatic award. The total running-expense request remains capped at R100,000 per year, and the budget must show why each item is needed for the proposed project. The institution’s matching commitment applies to the running-expense amount approved by the NRF. Applicants should also declare other support for the same research so that reviewers can judge whether the plan is financially workable.

The framework expects a three-year budget. Requests for only one or two years are not considered, except where the applicable track rules expressly allow a shorter period. A budget that asks only for equipment or only for conference attendance is not a substitute for a complete, justified research plan. The application should connect every requested cost to a research activity, output or human-capital objective.

Who was eligible for the 2027-funded call

The general rules were narrow. Applicants had to be South African citizens or South African permanent residents with a valid South African identity document. Someone still waiting for permanent residence was not eligible. Applicants also had to be employed at an NRF-recognised public university or public research institution in South Africa.

The eligible employment groups included academics at public universities, staff with joint academic and administrative roles whose performance deliverables include research and postgraduate training, and researchers employed by science councils or other NRF-recognised research institutions. Employment had to be full-time and either permanent or contractual. A contractual appointment had to cover the whole approved grant period, from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029 for this cycle.

Technicians, research assistants, part-time lecturers, doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows were excluded. A person who had previously held a postdoctoral fellowship could apply after moving into an eligible full-time academic or research appointment, but could not apply while still holding postdoctoral-fellow status. The framework also required the employing institution to promise research time release, relief from teaching duties where applicable, and the 1:1 running-expense contribution.

There was a specific accommodation for female applicants on a fixed-term half-day appointment made to accommodate family responsibilities. The framework limited this accommodation to women raising children aged four or younger and women living with a disability. Supporting evidence was required, and a fixed-term appointment still had to cover the approved three-year grant period.

Track-specific rules

PhD Track

The PhD Track was for applicants intending to obtain a doctoral degree within the funding period. Applicants should have held a masters qualification when applying. Someone whose masters was still in progress could apply, but had to complete it by 31 December 2026 and provide proof of passing before the grant commenced. The applicant also had to be registered for a doctoral degree when the grant started.

Each year’s PhD-track funding required proof of doctoral registration. The application needed an endorsement from the nominated supervisor through the Application Support Input section. After submission, NRF Connect generated a request for the supervisor to complete the electronic reference, so the applicant had to provide an accurate supervisor email address and check that the reference was completed.

The usual request was for three years. The framework allowed a shorter request where an applicant had already started doctoral study and needed two years to finish. A PhD-track grantholder who completed the doctorate could apply to the Post-PhD Track for a later cycle, subject to the Post-PhD eligibility rules. The framework’s progression provisions can allow a PhD-track holder to reach a possible third three-year cycle when the stated conditions are met; it is inaccurate to describe every Thuthuka path as an unconditional six-year maximum.

Post-PhD Track

The Post-PhD Track was for researchers strengthening their research capability after doctoral study. The applicant had to have obtained the doctorate no more than five years before the date of first application. For this call, the framework states that applicants who obtained the doctorate before February 2021 were not eligible. A doctoral certificate or completion evidence belonged in the qualifications section.

An applicant whose doctorate was not finalised at the time of application could still apply under this track, but had to complete the doctorate by 31 December 2026 and provide proof of having passed by the time the grant commenced. Previous postdoctoral funding did not automatically disqualify a full-time academic or researcher. Continuing postdoctoral fellows remained ineligible.

NRF Rating Track

The Rating Track was not a general-purpose grant for any researcher who wanted more funding. It was limited to applicants who had not been able to realise their potential or sustain their research ability and who intended to apply for an NRF rating within the six-year funding period. The applicant had to explain the barrier, such as limited research infrastructure or research activity at the employing institution, or family responsibilities. That limitation had to be evident in the career profile and supporting motivation.

Applicants had to hold a doctorate before applying in the Rating Track. The doctorate could be no more than eight years old at first application; the framework therefore excluded applicants who obtained the doctorate before February 2018 for this cycle. First-time Rating Track applicants could not already be NRF-rated. They also needed to identify a research focus in which they planned to build a sustained record.

How to apply when the next call opens

The application route is NRF Connect, not an email submission. The NRF’s application guidance and the 2026 framework describe the following preparation sequence:

1. Create or access an NRF Connect profile and bring the CV and personal details up to date.
2. Enter the South African identity document and all qualifications in the relevant profile sections. Do not rely on a free-form attachment to replace information that the online form requires.
3. Open the Research Grants area, create the Thuthuka application and select the correct track.
4. Complete every compulsory screen and every non-compulsory section relevant to the applicant’s circumstances, including the career profile, research proposal, project plan, human-capital development plan, ethics and data-management information.
5. Build a three-year budget and motivation. Show the connection between each item, the project activities and the intended outputs, while observing the separate equipment and running-expense limits.
6. Upload the Institutional Support Form for the application. The institution must confirm support, research time release and the 1:1 running-expense contribution.
7. Add the track-specific evidence: supervisor support for the PhD Track, doctoral proof for the Post-PhD or Rating Track, an age motivation where required, and evidence for the half-day appointment accommodation where applicable.
8. Review the generated application document, correct omissions and submit it through NRF Connect before the published deadline. The institution then validates and submits applications to the NRF.

The NRF screens applications twice: first through institutional validation and then for compliance with the framework, application guide and online content requirements. Applications that fail the compliance screen do not proceed to merit review. Eligible applications go through a competitive one-stage merit review, so technical completeness is a prerequisite rather than a minor administrative detail.

What reviewers look for

The scorecard gives scientific merit the largest weighting on both the PhD Track and the Post-PhD or Rating Tracks. On the PhD Track, scientific merit is weighted at 35% and project management and feasibility at 30%. On the Post-PhD and Rating Tracks, scientific merit is weighted at 30%, while project management and feasibility is weighted at 20%. The remaining criteria cover track record, human-capital development, collaboration, outputs, knowledge-production impact, broader societal impact, and ethics, data management and use.

That structure rewards a proposal that can be executed, not merely an interesting research question. Explain the problem, research question, method, roles, work breakdown, timing, deliverables and budget as one connected plan. Show how students will be involved, what the applicant has already demonstrated, and why the proposed collaboration is needed. The framework gives particular value to collaborations that connect institutions with limited research infrastructure or research activity to research-intensive institutions with complementary capabilities.

After an award

Thuthuka grants are administered through the employing institution under NRF financial and grant policies. Subsequent funding depends on progress reporting and institutional approval. Outputs, expenditure and progress against project objectives must be documented across the grant. A project, budget or other material change requires prior NRF approval through the institution.

The grant is not a personal stipend and it is not a replacement for the applicant’s employment. It is a project-and-capacity-development award with institutional responsibilities attached. Before applying in a future round, an applicant should confirm the contract dates, obtain an early commitment from the research office, check the doctoral or rating-track date rule, and prepare a budget that the institution can actually match.

Official sources

The NRF’s current call page hosts the documents for the completed 2027-funded round, including the 2026 Thuthuka Funding Guide, the Thuthuka 2026 Institutional Support Form and the PhD, Post-PhD and Rating Track guides:

NRF Call for Proposals for Funding in 2026 and 2027: https://www.nrf.ac.za/funding/nrf-call-for-proposals-for-funding-in-2026-and-2027/

The NRF’s official announcement for the 2027 instrument records the applicant deadline as 15 April 2026: NRF announcement.

The controlling framework is the Thuthuka Framework for 2026. Applications are made through NRF Connect. When a new Thuthuka call is announced, confirm the new guide, deadline, eligibility cutoffs and budget limits before reusing any material from this archive page.