Conference Applications
The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) seeks applications for funding to host national and international conferences, including summits and symposia. The theme of the conference should be aligned to the vision and mission of the SAMRC. Training events, such as summer schools, with a focus on health research will also be considered.
Funding caps
The maximum amount that may be requested is R200 000 for international conferences and R100 000 for national conferences. International conferences are those that will include a substantial number of attendees (in addition to speakers) from outside South Africa.
Eligibility
South African Higher Education Institutions (HEI), science councils or other non-profit organisations whose core business is conducting medical/health research, and health-related associations are eligible to apply for funding.
The proposed conference must have medical/health research as its central theme and be hosted at a venue in South Africa.
Applications should not exceed (five) 5 pages (Arial 10 pt font, single spaced), including the cover page.
Applications must contain the following information:
- A cover page duly completed and signed off (use template).
- Details of the conference/summit/symposium/:
- Date(s) for the meeting
- Conference programme and speakers
- Proposed participants
- Proposed number of attendees, broken down by local and international attendees.
- Expected conference outcomes.
- Narrative on how this conference will support the MRC’s mission and significance to South Africa.
- Budget (use template).
- List all potential and confirmed sources of funding including the proposed SAMRC funding that you wish to apply for. Mention any applications submitted to other organisations to fund this conference and the status of those applications (denied, pending, or funded). If pending or funded, indicate the Rand amount requested. Participant conference fees must be included as revenue.
- Document all planned expenditures by budget categories (e.g., personnel, supplies, travel, marketing/promotional, speaker fees, meals, facility rental, etc.).
Please note that the SAMRC funds may not be used to pay for equipment, capital expenses, computers, gifts, prizes, cash awards, entertainment, alcohol, lobbying activities, and proposal development.
All applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:
- Responsiveness to the RFA (timely submission, eligibility, completeness etc.)
- Relevance to SAMRC’s mission
- Level of direct impact on health research and/or health.
- Available/current conference information (e.g., agenda, topics, speakers, marketing and organisational plans, budget, etc.)
For both local and international conferences, applications must be submitted a minimum of 6 months prior to the conference. For example, conferences taking place during or after July 2024 must apply by December 2023 and conferences taking place prior to July 2024 must apply by December 2023.
Deadline Dates:
- National Conferences, the deadline for applying is 31 December 2023
- International Conferences, the deadline for applying is 31 December 2023
All applications must be submitted to: conference.funding@mrc.ac.za by the deadline, which is generally 31 December of each year.
The recipient institution must provide the SAMRC with a report describing the outcomes of the conference. The report is due within three (3) months of the end date of the conference and should include details such as:
- The number of conference attendees
- A financial report showing all sources and amounts of project funding along with expenditure detail for the SAMRC funds
- Copies of all conference promotional materials
- Details on how the SAMRC was acknowledged as a sponsor
- Any additional information that helps document the success of the conference and its value to the SAMRC’s mission.