Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) announces a call for research proposals under its Human Capital Policy Programme. This initiative seeks to support rigorous, policy-relevant analysis that advances understanding of South Africa’s health system and contributes to evidence-based policymaking. The call responds to persistent structural challenges across the health sector, including inequality, resource constraints, fragmented service delivery, and the imperative to align health system improvements with the country’s broader development agenda. Research Themes ERSA invites proposals addressing one or more of the following priority themes. These themes reflect areas of strategic interest for strengthening health policy and improving sector performance: Health System Performance and Financing Research in this area may explore efficiency, equity, and sustainability of health financing; allocation mechanisms; expenditure patterns; and the performance of public and private sector delivery models. Health Service Design, Costing, and Implementation Proposals may examine the organisation of health services, cost structures, implementation bottlenecks, and potential reforms that improve operational effectiveness within the South African context. Health Technology Assessment ERSA welcomes studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness, affordability, and policy relevance of health technologies, including pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and digital health solutions. Equity, Access, and Social Determinants of Health Research may investigate structural inequities, access barriers, socio-economic determinants of health, and distributional outcomes of health policy interventions. Behavioural and Informational Economics in Health This theme includes work on behavioural responses to incentives, information asymmetries, health-seeking behaviour, and interventions that improve decision-making across the health system. Global and Context-Specific Comparative Health Economics Comparative studies that draw lessons from other health systems or provide global and regional benchmarking are encouraged, provided they produce insights applicable to South Africa’s policy context. Evaluation Criteria Proposals should demonstrate: Clear and substantial policy relevance Academic novelty and contribution to the literature Methodological feasibility, taking into account available data sources Alignment with one or more of the thematic priorities ERSA particularly encourages interdisciplinary approaches using household, facility, or administrative datasets. Proposals involving novel or primary data collection may be submitted; however, projects must be feasible within a 12-month timeframe, and funding for new data collection is limited. Submission Guidelines Researchers are required to submit a proposal in PDF format using the designated template available on the ERSA website. Proposals must be submitted via the online submission form by 2 February 2026. Submissions will be reviewed by the ERSA Research Committee, with additional external input where necessary. To ensure impartiality, committee members will not evaluate proposals from colleagues within their own institutions. Authors of successful proposals will be notified by 23 February 2026. Expectations for Accepted Proposals Researchers whose proposals are accepted will be expected to meet the following milestones: Present preliminary findings at a research workshop in July 2026 Present near-final analyses at a conference in December 2026 Submit a full working paper for inclusion in the ERSA Working Paper Series by January 2027 Submit a policy brief, executive summary, or economic note by April 2027 ERSA may request periodic progress updates throughout the project cycle. Ownership and Dissemination Researchers retain full intellectual ownership of their work. ERSA reserves the right to disseminate findings to relevant academic, policy, and practitioner audiences in order to maximise the visibility and impact of the research. Funding Working papers accepted for publication in the ERSA Working Paper Series will receive R50,000.Additional funding of up to R100,000 may be allocated for primary data collection, subject to value-for-money assessment and feasibility considerations. Proposal Submission Applications must be submitted through the online portal by 2 February 2026. The proposal template, research questions, and data guidance materials are available for download on the ERSA website. VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY For more opportunities such as these please follow us on Facebook, Instagram , WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and Telegram Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the hiring organization. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.