The UK Royal Academy of Engineering has opened a new call for grant proposals which will support partnerships between businesses and university academics in South Africa, with up to £80 000 of funds to be made available for research and innovation.

Applications will be led by academics, but in a statement issued by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) on Thursday, the chamber said industry partners in South Africa with ideas for “win-win” partnerships with universities, that would benefit the business’s bottom line, forge links for academics with their industry stakeholders and produce innovation that benefits society, were especially sought after.

The Royal Academy will provide substantial support to firms interested in this call to match them with technical experts in South Africa and the UK that can help to achieve their research and development needs.

According to the statement, proposals should show evidence of benefit to society as a whole, and the Royal Academy and Sacci have said they would give guidance on this.

Some examples of this could be projects improving the efficiency of industrial processes to save energy, water or other scarce resources; providing wider access to goods and services which create welfare for people (such as healthcare products); or innovations that improve the quality of public services, transport or infrastructure.

Additionally, scholarships can be awarded to South African citizens or permanent residents who are 45 years or younger.

The closing date for applications is January 10, 2020.