The South Africa Netherlands research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) has since 1997, been financed by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. SANPAD has facilitated and financed research projects, research capacity building and research support activities over the past ten years. This Programme Document explains how the SANPAD Phase 3 (2008-2013) programme will contribute to the South African National research and development goals and agenda, the goals of the South African Higher Education Sector and the goals of the Royal Netherlands Embassy (herein after referred to as the Embassy) on research and development. The Phase 3 programme was designed after reflection on the recommendations of the evaluations of the Phase 1 and 2 programmes, the key challenges that face the Higher Education in South Africa, the new challenges and policy related imperatives for research locally and internationally, the principles enshrined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005), the recommendations emanating from the Poverty Challenge Conference and policy research conducted on the impact of globalisation on development research in South Africa.  SANPAD envisages that the Phase 3 programme:

•    will continue to be a catalyst for the development of a sustainable critical mass of researchers and human resources relevant for the establishment of the foundations for advanced research in sustainable development,
•    will ultimately contribute towards the development of a knowledge society both in the South and the North, and,
•    will expand its research partnerships and research capacity building initiatives to specific states in the SADC region,
•    will promote the internationalisation of research and development and research capacity building through partnerships forged in Phase 2,.
•    will prepare a self-sustainability strategy for the period after Phase 3.

It must be emphasized that the reprioritization of the research enterprise in South Africa has been complicated by the changing higher education landscape in South Africa since 1994, and the concomitant problems that emerged from the restructuring of the Higher Education sector. The impact of this has been unsatisfactory research output, particularly international research output, declining Phd graduation rates, which has in turn had a negative impact on the pace of research for development in South Africa. Universities continue to wrestle with the implementation of the restructuring plans, the research and development plans, the numerous policy changes that have been introduced and the call to produce high quality national and international research outputs and a critical mass of young researchers.

In Phase III the promotion and enhancement of research at the national and international level, research capacity building initiatives and training of human resources for research endeavours within and outside of the academic sector will be prioritised. SANPAD aims to perpetuate its reputation and broaden the reach of its activities whilst ensuring that the quality of the programme is advanced. Poverty reduction will continue to occupy a central focus of the SANPAD programme in Phase III.

Thus the Key Objectives in Phase III are as follows:
1.    To enhance the existing high quality unique South Africa-Netherlands collaborative research programme it has developed over Phase 1 and 2.

2.    To continue to focus on stimulating and promoting research capacity building through its Research Capacity Initiative (RCI) and its Advanced Research Capacity Initiative (ARCI) for Doctoral candidates to ensure the development of a critical mass of PhD graduates in South Africa.

3.    To promote equity, excellence and efficiency in research and research capacity development through its Research Support Activities (RSA) and to respond thereby to research priorities during this phase with the aim to improve research output at the national and international level.

4.    To facilitate new partnerships with the Southern African Development Communities (SADC) and other internationally relevant partners in order to promote the internationalisation of higher education and to encourage sustainability of the SANPAD programme.

5.    To develop and update the existing database of Researchers and partnerships in the North and South and to identify new partnerships for the sustainability of the research enterprise and SANPAD.

6.    To ensure that the principles enshrined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and any other subsequent policy initiatives applicable to SANPAD are adhered to.


The specific goals that emerge from the general objectives are as follows:
•    To finance approximately 76 research projects, 40 pre-proposal and 40 reformulation workshops with poverty reduction as a cross-cutting theme within the proposed and/or revised themes listed below:
1.    New approaches to Economic Development
2.    Social and Human Development
3.    Natural Resources and their Governance
4.    Politics, Governance, State and Society
5.    Identities, Cultures and Societies
6.    Science and Technology for Social development (15% over the 5 year period)

•    To facilitate  annually an enhanced Pre-doctoral Research Capacity Initiative (RCI) developed during Phase 1 and 2 and a one week long Advanced Research Capacity Initiative (ARCI) programme for registered PhD candidates,
•    To undertake relevant research support activities (approximately 25) to promote equity and excellence in research and research capacity building in advancing the development of a knowledge society in South Africa and the selected SADC states.
•    To promote regional cooperation in research and knowledge development within selected SADC states (approximately 10 projects) through a multilateral (NL, SA and SADC) mutually beneficial research partnership and capacity building programme, on an incremental basis over the 5 year period (Phase 3).
•    To facilitate research partnerships, capacity building and research outputs through the Guest Lecture Programme and the existing collaborative research projects.
•    To update and monitor the existing database of bilateral and multilateral research partnerships between the NL and SA, and to include new partnerships with SADC and  other international partners.
•    To promote and advance the dissemination, communication and implementation of research outputs and outcomes to the various stakeholder groups (Government, Policy makers, civil society and the research community) within the partner countries.
•    To facilitate and finance appoximately 15% of our total research budget on development research in the areas of Science, Technology and Innovation over the phase III period..

In developing the Phase III programme, SANPAD recognised the importance of South Africa as a model for research development in the region, given its experience over the last 10 years. More importantly, SANPAD in response to the concern that South Africa’s contribution to the international research output was minimal, sought to pursue the sound logic of co-operation with its already established international partners to contribute to this end. Political isolation has had a negative impact on international research outputs as well as on the development of a critical mass of researchers from the disadvantaged communities. This prevented them the opportunity to participate in large scale international research and thus to contribute to international research outputs. International research has been recognized as a powerful vehicle for contributing to  equipping the capacity building of people in the South, for contributing to the global knowledge and innovation whilst simultaneously creating opportunities for researchers to compete on the global arena. In Phase III SANPAD will attempt to increase its contribution to the global research knowledge pool.