Through the strategic investment in science, technology and innovation (STI), the DSTI aims to support South Africa’s transition to a more circular economy by eliminating waste and pollution; keeping products and materials in use at their highest value; and regenerating natural systems, in a manner that will provide maximum environmental, social and economic benefit for the country. The Circular Economy STI Strategy also prioritises the decoupling of economic development from resource consumption, through science, technology and innovation.

Objectives

• The objectives are to directly support:
  • Strengthened STI capability and capacity
  • More effective decision-making, and
  • Faster insertion of context-appropriate technology

Aims

• The Circular Economy STI Strategy (2024-2034) is a strategic initiative of the DSTI, implemented by Circular Innovation South Africa (CISA) and managed by the CSIR. The Circular Economy STI Strategy aims to strengthen:
  • Human capital development (HCD)
  • Research and development (R&D), and
  • Innovation in the circular economy

Thematic Areas of Research

• Research proposals must be aligned with one of these resource-intensive, priority economic sectors and STI sub-areas:
  • Agriculture sector:
    • Resource efficiency
    • Regenerative agriculture
    • Agro-processing
    • Biorefinery
  • Manufacturing sector:
    • Resource efficiency and cleaner production
    • Circular product design
    • Advanced manufacturing
    • Remanufacturing
  • Mining sector (minerals & metals):
    • Resource security, e.g., critical minerals
    • Resource efficiency
    • Diversifying sources of minerals and metals, e.g., urban mining

Funding Information

• Grant proposals should be ≤ R2,000,000 (excl. VAT) and ≤ 3 years in duration. The total grant funding available for 2025 is limited and since the call is open to all circular economy related research topics, the process is expected to be highly competitive.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible institutions:
  • Only researchers from South African public universities, science councils and other public research institutions, working in relevant disciplines, are invited to submit proposals for a Circular Economy research grant.
• Experience:
  • Principal investigators (PI) must be qualified to do the proposed research and should be experts in the subject matter referenced in the proposal. Typically, this would include full-time faculty at academic and research institutions.

For more information, visit DSTI.