Have you addressed the following issues?

1. What is the strategic gain of formalising your collaboration?
2. Is the research agenda clearly defined, with a set of ongoing projects that are interlinked or focused on a common theme? Are the broad timelines and team responsibilities appropriately articulated?
3. Have you provided the curriculum vitae of the core research team? (These must be permanent staff and must spend at least 50% of their research time on the research agenda of the grouping. Members that belong to other accredited groupings must produce distinct bodies of work to qualify as a member of more than one grouping. Exceptions need to be motivated.)
4. Has provision been made for all your non-financial needs (e.g. space, support staff and equipment) and, if not, how do you plan to achieve this over time? Note: Provision for non-financial needs (including space) depends on faculty support and must be negotiated with the dean of the relevant faculty.
5. Have you listed the major sources of your current funding? Does the proposed grouping have current financial viability in terms of operational costs, human capital development resources and infrastructural support?
6. 6. Have you provided a current budget plan (showing breakdown of line items, e.g. running costs, student bursaries and support staff), including a three-year budget forecast of anticipated income sources and approximate amounts?
7. Is there good evidence of generating quality research in relation to the research agenda over the past 3-5 years as a collective group? The quality of the research activities is reflected in measurable outputs such as accredited, peer-reviewed publications; funding generated through grants and / or contracts; throughput of postgraduate students and the registration of patents. Engaged scholarship as it relates to the research must be in evidence.

   Note: Groupings that are able to meet this criterion on accreditation immediately enter the five-year cycle, which means they will be reviewed five years after being accredited. The review panel includes expert-peers external to UCT.
   OR
   If the above collaboration and outputs are not yet in place – Is there a clearly articulated strategic goal for the (developmental) accreditation of the grouping? Has the application clearly motivated why and how such collaboration will occur and what the envisaged collective outputs will be in relation to the proposed research agenda, if granted accreditation?

   Note: Groupings in this category that achieve three-year accreditation will be reviewed in the final six months of the first three years by an internal panel to assess evidence of a collaborative body of work that resulted from the three-year accreditation. If satisfactory, the grouping enters the five-year review cycle, as above. If not, the grouping’s three-year accreditation is withdrawn

8. All accredited groupings are expected to train postgraduate students. Have you described the prospective postgraduate pipeline that will feed into your research area (in other words, have you identified undergraduate programmes from which you could potentially recruit your postgraduate students)? If this pipeline of students is not yet in place, have you provided an appropriate recruitment strategy?
9. Equity and redress: is there a development plan, if appropriate, to assure transformation in terms of equity imperatives?
10. Governance structure: is there evidence of an effective governance structure to monitor activities and initiate improvements?
11. Engaged scholarship: To what extent will the grouping’s research translate into alleviating problems locally, in the region, the country or on the continent?
12. Visibility: Does the grouping have a clear plan on how it will enhance its visibility in the public domain?

Have you answered the following questions?

1. Taking all of the above into account, do you propose classification of your grouping as a unit, centre or institute? For more details, please refer to the guidelines for accredited research groupings.  
2. All accredited groupings (including those that are multi- or interdisciplinary) are required to have a departmental home for administrative purposes and for reasons of accountability. Is your application signed off by the relevant head of department?
3.  All accredited groupings (including those that are multi- or interdisciplinary) are required to have a faculty home for administrative purposes and for reasons of accountability. Is your application signed off by the relevant dean?
4. Should the dean endorse the application, he/she has to provide the URC with a brief motivation on why and how the Faculty would support the grouping.

Download the checklist.