The Future Professors Programme (Phase 01) serves the best and brightest of a transformed next generation South African professoriate. It is one of six national collaborative initiatives hosted by the Department of Higher Education and Training and individual South African universities. Phase 01 is hosted administratively at the University of Stellenbosch but serves all 26 South African public universities. The programme is designed to complement and supplement next generation initiatives at respective universities and we aim to collaborate with such initiatives.

We prepare early to mid-career academics across the disciplines. Our purpose is to build capacity in the South African national science system by preparing lecturer and senior lecturer equivalent staff for the professoriate. This is a direct response to current inequality in representation in the senior ranks of the academy (associate and full professor levels). This is done through strong cross-disciplinary and inter-university peer networks inside and outside the fellowship programme.

The programme includes three core components:

The programme runs over two years and participation in the full programme is required. The residential seminar series consists of five themes to be covered in year one. Should the current restrictions on travel ease, these engagements will occur as five to six two day meetings at major universities across the country, with additional breakout sessions to cover specialist topics. The programme covers travel and accommodation arrangements. Should any lockdown measures interfere with these arrangements, the residential programme will continue online.

Based on the nature of each fellow’s intellectual project, personal circumstances and employment situation, a residency abroad is arranged or, alternatively, a research visit to your university by an international scholar in your field. The kind, nature and timing of the international engagement is subject to current pandemic measures.

Funding for individual projects is sought through the appropriate funding agencies, with additional support provided by the programme to make travel and teaching replacement possible. This will be negotiated with the cooperation of the individual fellow and their resident university.