Established as a university in 1918, the University of Cape Town is an inclusive and engaged research-intensive African university that inspires creativity through outstanding achievements in learning, discovery and citizenship; enhancing the lives of its students and staff; advancing a more equitable and sustainable social order and influencing the global higher education landscape.
What others are saying
“Reach was one of those experiences that became much bigger than the project itself. I joined to do meaningful research, but it ended up changing how I think about impact, opportunity and the kind of work I want to do.
Waheed Amanjee
Working on our case study on unhousedness in Cape Town taught me that research is most powerful when it sits close to people, systems and policy, and when it asks not only what the problem is, but what actually helps people who are being left behind.”
Hons. BMSc, Bioinformatics
University of Cape Town, Reach Alumna
How to Apply
The Reach Alliance at the University of Cape Town is currently recruiting for Faculty Mentors for the 2026-27 program.
This call seeks expressions of interest from a Principal Investigator (PI or two co-PIs, called “Mentors” under the Reach programme), from different faculties, working on an urgent challenge of reaching the hardest to reach – those under-served for geographic, administrative, economic, or social reasons – to lead the next Reach Alliance research team at UCT in 2027. This challenge should have a health-related focus, whether directly or indirectly. UCT encourages the selection of case studies that are embedded in local communities in South Africa. The following examples of previous research reports from UCT may help to provide a sense of how this has been approached through the platform to date.
For 2027, we are interested in projects that address the following broad research question: To what extent does participation in health entrepreneurship contribute to sustained employment, improved income, venture development, and enhanced livelihoods for youth and marginalised groups?
The Mentor(s) is required to provide a general abstract of the research challenge to be addressed by their students and plan to select 4-5 students to conduct the 10-month project. This research focus usually complements some of the current PI’s research. Given the relatively short timeframe, research questions that benefit from pre-approved ethics/low risk ethics are encouraged.
For more information on application details and Mentor role and responsibilities, click the learn more button below. For information about the Reach Alliance at UCT, please contact Katusha de Villiers, Health Systems Innovation Lead, with the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Katusha.devilliers@uct.ac.za
Submit all applications directly to: Katusha.devilliers@uct.ac.za
Application deadline: September 21, 2026
Research Reports
South Africa
Exploring Health Misinformation through Whatsapp Networks in an Underserved Community: A Case Study of Philippi, Cape Town
South Africa
Resilience Through Indigenous Knowledge: Self-Determination Among Migrant Women Entrepreneurs in Cape Town
South Africa
Climate Resilience in Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries: Women Fishers in Hout and Kalk Bay, Cape Town
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