Science and Technology Accelerator – Systems (STA-S) Southern Africa programme
The FCDO invites expressions of interest by 17 August 2026 to design and deliver the STA-S: Southern Africa programme, an initiative to strengthen science, technology and innovation ecosystems in Southern Africa.
Short overview of fund
STA-S: Southern Africa is a 3-year programme worth up to £2.5 million, running to March 2030 and starting in the financial year 2026/2027, with up to £400,000 allocated for the year ending March 2027.
It aims to support inclusive economic growth, development outcomes and sustained UK–Africa partnerships by addressing barriers to translating science, technology and innovation into practical impact.
The programme will focus on AI and emerging technologies, digital access and inclusion, climate and energy, health, space, and the wider policy, regulatory and institutional conditions that enable research and innovation.
It will strengthen collaboration between UK and Southern African partners, with a primary focus on South Africa and an initial focus on Zimbabwe and Zambia in Year 1, to strengthen research and innovation enabling environments, deepen partnerships and scale effective approaches across the region.
While these countries are proposed as the initial focus, the intention is to expand to additional countries in later years. Respondents are encouraged to recommend other countries for inclusion, based on the proposed methodology and the strength of their networks across the region.
What the fund will achieve
STA-S focuses on system-level change and impact, and aims to generate learning and scalable models for the region. The programme is intended to:
- strengthen policy, regulatory and institutional environments
- support inclusive research and technology innovation and entrepreneurship across universities, research organisations, the private sector, and wider innovation ecosystems
- deepen UK–Southern Africa partnerships and science diplomacy
- enable socially impactful and growth-oriented outcomes
STA-S is organised around 2 interlinked and mutually reinforcing components. These are intended to clarify the programme’s cross-cutting approach and should not be understood as separate workstreams.
Respondents are expected to address both components in an integrated manner, demonstrating how proposed interventions will strengthen enabling conditions for science, technology and innovation while also improving pathways for research and innovation uptake, commercialisation, entrepreneurship and inclusive development impact. In both components, the emphasis should be on system-level change and scalable outcomes, rather than isolated technologies, individual innovations or standalone activities.
Component 1: Science, technology and innovation policy, partnerships and enabling systems will focus on strengthening the policy, regulatory, institutional and partnership conditions required for effective science, technology and innovation systems in Southern Africa.
Component 2: Inclusive innovation, research commercialisation and entrepreneurship will focus on strengthening the systems, capabilities and pathways needed to translate research and innovation into wider adoption, market application and inclusive development outcomes.
In developing STA-S, respondents to the call for expressions of interest may wish to draw on the learning and achievements of previous programming implemented in the region. Annex A includes several links and references, as illustrative examples of FCDO-supported initiatives, that may be useful for programme designers to consider.
The STA-S programme is expected to run from contract signature in 2026 until the end of March 2030. The total available budget for work in Southern Africa is up to £2.5 million, inclusive of VAT. Respondents must provide a clear and justified budget for the full programme value, linked to the proposed outputs and outcomes. They must also provide a separate detailed budget for the remainder of financial year 2026/2027, up to £400,000.
Expressions of interest should clearly distinguish between capital and operational expenditure and show how the proposed budget meets the required CDEL/RDEL split and ODA eligibility requirements.
Requirements for organisations wishing to apply
Delivery of the STA‑S: Southern Africa programme is expected to be undertaken through a multi-partner consortium that reflects the breadth of expertise required to strengthen science, technology and innovation systems in the region.
The following are mandatory requirements:
- there must be a lead implementing partner that FCDO will enter an agreement with
- the lead implementing partner must be a not-for-profit organisation, however this does not preclude for-profit organisations from forming part of a consortium
- the lead implementing partner and all the activities funded under the agreement must meet all ODA eligibility requirements (refer to the FCDO Programme Operating Framework for guidance)
- the lead implementing partner must demonstrate the capacity to enter into and manage an FCDO accountable grant and any necessary sub-contract/partnership arrangements required
Expressions of interest should demonstrate:
- an indicative theory of change and delivery logic linking activities, outputs, outcomes and longer-term systems change (See Annex B for a draft theory if change outline)
- a credible approach to delivering across both programme components and ensuring coherence between policy, partnerships, innovation and ecosystem-strengthening activities
- how delivery will remain demand-led, adaptive and responsive to evolving partner priorities and opportunities, with learning from implementation used to inform programme adaptation and continuous improvement
- how UK and Southern African expertise will be mobilised through equitable and mutually beneficial partnerships
- how proposed interventions will contribute to sustainable change beyond the life of FCDO funding, including credible pathways for scaling, replication, institutional adoption or continued partnership beyond the programme period
How to apply
Read the following programme documentation:
Expressions of interest must be submitted by completing this Microsoft Form.
Budget and CV attachments must be sent separately by email to STA-S.SouthernAfrica@fcdo.gov.uk with the subject line: “Expression of Interest: STA-S Southern Africa Programme”.
The supporting budget must be submitted in Excel format and CVs in PDF.
All submissions should be provided in English and received by 11:59pm (UK time) on 17 August 2026. Late submissions will not be considered.
FCDO may seek clarification from organisations where necessary. Only organisations that are shortlisted following the expression-of-interest stage may be invited to submit a full proposal. Invitation to submit a full proposal does not guarantee award.
If respondents have not been contacted by 24 August 2026, they should assume that their submission has not been successful.
Contacts
For further information please contact: STA-S.SouthernAfrica@fcdo.gov.uk with the subject line: “Request for clarification”.