Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF)
Cultivating collaborative research alliances through targeted seed funding aimed at addressing clearly defined mutual challenges.
Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF)
The Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) offers grants of an average of $10,000 AUD to foster partnerships within the network and support planning workshops and research collaborations.
It provides one year of catalytic seed funding which may cover the costs of exploratory research initiatives, targeted workshops, faculty exchanges and the formation of collaborative networks, among other activities.
Applications close 30 June 2026. We expect to fund 8 projects in 2026: 4 led by African member universities and 4 led by Australian member universities.
Priority Research Themes 2026
▼We encourage applications from natural and social scientists in the following priority areas:
- Environment, climate, and the energy transition
- Equality, security, and social cohesion
- Public health and human wellbeing
- Sustainable food and water systems
- Artificial intelligence and the digital revolution
Each application should also briefly identify the relevance of the project to: UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African Union Agenda 2063, Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and Youth, including Early Career Researchers.
Who Can Apply?
▼PRDF applications should be led by academic staff (faculty members) at AAUN member universities. At least two Awards per round shall be made to projects led by Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who hold a PhD and are up to five years since PhD award date.
Applications are invited from:
- New projects and teams, including those arising from recent AAUN fora and research workshops
- Existing AAUN research teams, where progress reports show major advances
- Collaborative teams led by AAUN members and involving other related networks
Matching Funding: PRDF awards are a maximum of AUD 10,000 per project in matching funding. Partner teams must raise cash funding to match the amount requested.
Assessment Criteria
▼Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
- Impact – The proposal is of high quality and addresses a distinct research problem for Australia and Africa.
- Relevance to AAUN objectives – Aligns with AAUN strategic objectives and addresses a high priority area.
- Sustainability – Likely to build longer term international relationships and attract continuing external funding.
- Teamwork – Involves a team of researchers across relevant disciplines and regions.
- Outcomes – Likely to result in academic publications, external funding, and/or policy outcomes.
Application Requirements
▼Applications must include at least two African AND two Australian AAUN member universities. The collaboration can also include non-AAUN universities and other external partners but must be led by and have an active core of AAUN member universities.
Applications will need to be accompanied by:
- Letters of support from AAUN partner universities confirming institutional support
- Letters of support from external partners
- Proposal budget outlining key areas of expenditure (1 page maximum)
- CV summaries of principal investigators (1 page maximum each)
PRDF Timelines
▼- 1 May 2026: Applications open
- 30 June 2026: Applications close
- July 2026: Applications assessed
- August 2026: All applicants notified of outcomes
- 1–2 September 2026: Awards presented at AAUN Forum in Perth
- 1 January 2027: Projects commence
- 30 June 2027: Interim report due
- 31 December 2027: Projects finish and completion report due
- 3 years post-project: Final report due
Contact & Submission
▼AAUN Australia Secretariat: Ruvi Goredema
aus-secretariat@aaun.network
AAUN Africa Secretariat: Dr Sussy Munialo
africa-secretariat@aaun.network
Applications should be submitted through the respective Secretariat by 23h59 on 30 June 2026 in the local time zone of the project lead institution.
The Australia Africa Universities Network for Research Partnerships Across Two Continents
The network comprises a dynamic community of leading scholars, researchers, and policymakers, and offers institutional members access to the annual AAUN Forums, competitive Partnership Research Development Fund (PRDF) seed grants, and the Emerging Leaders in Africa and Australia Development (ELAAD) Program, in addition to the AAUN Early Career Researchers (ECR) Group, the Annual AAUN John Hearn-Cheryl de la Rey ECR Prize, the Annual AAUN John Hearn Memorial Lecture, and the annual high-level AAUN Forum.
Frequently Asked Questions.
The Partnership & Research Development Fund (PRDF) is a seed-funding initiative designed to catalyze research collaborations and institutional ties between AAUN member universities in Australia and Africa.
Applications must be led by academic staff from AAUN member universities. Each project must include at least one Australian member and one African member to ensure a cross-continental partnership.
The PRDF provides “catalytic” seed funding, with grants typically averaging around $10,000 AUD. These funds are intended to launch projects that can later attract larger external grants.
The fund focuses on mutual challenges across both continents, primarily in food security, public health, environmental sustainability, STEM education, and social governance.
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