PSAU Global South Partnership

Guidelines for PSAU SDG Research and Development Funding Programme (PSAU SDG–RDFP)

1. Preamble

The Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) 2030 SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Roadmap is articulated to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)’s national SDG targets. With its focus on the 5Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships, the roadmap emphasizes investments in wellbeing, inclusivity, curriculum development, student training and employability, community outreach, research, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

The Global South Partnership (GSP) is a key component PSAU’s SDG of roadmap that aims to address sustainability challenges shared by Saudi Arabia and Global South nations, particularly those defined as low or mid-income by the World Bank. Prospective thematic areas under the PSAU GSP include climate resilience, renewable and clean energy, energy justice, data equity, and community health. Furthermore, the PSAU GSP initiative recognises the importance of addressing pressing challenges related to sustainable development, social equity, and environmental stewardship through research partnerships, stakeholder engagements, entrepreneurial connections, and the promotion of environment, sustainability, and governance (ESG) principles.

This initiative comes at a critical juncture when humanity is faced with more challenges than ever before, yet we also have unprecedented technological advances at our disposal. Noting the UN’s emphasis on the paramount role of research and development in achieving the SDGs, PSAU’s management has approved an SDG-focused research programme, detailed in this document, as part of the PSAU GSP.

The 2025/2026 cycle of the PSAU SDG Research and Development Funding Programme (PSAU SDG–RDFP) represents a key component of the PSAU GSP that is aimed at leveraging technological innovations to address pressing SDG-related challenges. Outstanding proposals will be funded to explore how technology can help advance the five pillars of the PSAU SDG Roadmap.

An overview of the expected alignment between the envisioned PSAU SDG–RDFP projects and pillars of the PSAU 2030 SDG Roadmap are presented in the sequel.

2. PSAU SDG–RDFP Categories

The PSAU SDG–RDFP is organised into four thematic categories, each reflecting a pillar of the PSAU 2030 SDG Roadmap. These categories—People, Planet, Prosperity, and Peace and Partnerships—serve as the foundation for funding priorities and guide for the design of proposals as well as their outcomes. They ensure that all supported initiatives not only advance knowledge and innovation but also deliver tangible, measurable contributions to the SDGs. Each category provides a framework for proposals, offering clarity on the types of projects, applications, and policies that will be prioritised for support.

The People category encompasses projects, applications, and policies that utilise technology to empower individuals and communities, create opportunities, and address social challenges. Activities under this category of PSAU SDG Roadmap will prioritise partnerships leading to local insights to solve global challenges related to the relevant SDGs listed below.

Submissions in the People category may include:

• Access to technology and information for marginalised communities.

• Technologies or initiatives that empower individuals through skills training and employment opportunities.

• Initiatives that promote inclusive and equitable access to healthcare and education through technology.

• Innovations that advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.

• Efforts to enhance quality of life and inclusion for people with disabilities, special needs, or other challenges.

• Other technology-driven initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods, economic well-being, health, education, or overall prosperity.

Projects under the People category should align especially with the following SDGs:

• SDG 1: No Poverty

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• SDG 4: Quality Education

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The Planet category focuses on projects, applications, and policies that drive innovation for a healthy, sustainable planet. These initiatives aim to protect the environment, conserve natural resources, and build a sustainable future for humanity.

Submissions in the Planet category may include:

• Using technology to monitor and ensure access to clean water and sanitation.

• Designing smart technologies to optimise energy consumption and accelerate the adoption of renewable energy.

• Sustainable urban planning and smart-city solutions to create liveable, resilient communities.

• Technological applications aimed at promoting responsible consumption and improving waste management.

• Solutions to mitigate climate change and foster climate resilience, including digital innovations to preserve marine life and ecosystems, as well as data-driven approaches to protect biodiversity and natural habitats.

• Cutting-edge technologies for smart farming, efficient irrigation, sanitation, and related areas.

• Other technology use cases that strengthen environmental protection, address climate change, or help preserve the planet’s health.

Projects under the Planet category should align especially with the following SDGs:

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

• SDG 13: Climate Action

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

• SDG 15: Life on Land

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Category 3: Prosperity – Promoting economic growth

The Prosperity category encompasses projects, applications, and policies aimed at spurring economic growth, creating jobs, and developing sustainable infrastructure within Saudi Arabia’s and PSAU’s GSP partners’ host communities, as well as others globally.

Submissions in the Prosperity category may include:

• Technology-based entrepreneurship and digital innovation initiatives, including support for start-ups and leveraging technology to drive competitiveness.

• Using technology to drive job creation and skills development for inclusive, sustainable economic growth—creating opportunities for youth and vulnerable groups and enhancing digital skills through training and capacity-building programmes.

• Sustainable infrastructure projects that leverage technology for the planning, development, and maintenance of resilient systems in communications, connectivity, energy, transport, and other services.

• Technological frameworks that support financial inclusion initiatives, aimed at expanding access to finance and enhancing digital payment systems to empower individuals and businesses.

• Leveraging technology to drive industrial transformation and promote responsible production practices, including circular economy models, resource efficiency, and sustainable consumption patterns.

Projects under the Prosperity category should align especially with:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities 

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The Peace and Partnerships category prioritises technologies that foster international cooperation, strengthen governance and transparency, and facilitate collaboration among diverse stakeholders—efforts vital for building peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.

Submissions in the Peace and Partnerships category may include:

• Using technology for peacebuilding and conflict resolution, including tools to prevent conflict, strengthen social cohesion, and foster harmony within communities.

• Enhancing access to justice through technologies that improve legal systems and ensure equal rights and protection for all.

• Promoting transparency and good governance through platforms that enable citizens to engage with public institutions.

• Data-driven decision-making initiatives that harness technology to inform evidence-based policymaking, improve public service delivery, and strengthen decision-making processes at local, national, and international levels.

Projects under the Peace and Partnerships category should align particularly with:

• SDG 4: Quality Education

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

3. Funding Priorities, Outcomes, and Programme Terms and Conditions

Priority will be given to proposals that clearly demonstrate the connections between their expected outcomes and the SDGs (especially those that highlight which of the 169 targets and 230 indicators of the SDGs are associated with their outcomes). The project outcomes must be published in journals recognised and indexed on the Scopus repository. Each funding unit will require the publication of an article in a Q1 or Q2 journal. All publications must be indexed at least Q3 level on the Web of Science (WoS) repository. The required number of publication outcomes will be determined based on the total value of the grant awarded.

3.1 Team Composition

a. To qualify for funding, the Principal Investigator (PI) must meet the following criteria:

• Be a PSAU faculty member with at least two years of affiliation.

• Demonstrate a commitment to research addressing the SDGs.

• Submit a proposal for evaluation.

• Accept the funding terms and conditions.

b. The project team must include at least one student who is between the second and penultimate years of their programme.

3.2 Funding and Duration

The funding amount is SAR 25,000 per outcome, with total grant determined by the number of outcomes stipulated in the project award letter. This amount is intended to defray open-access publication fees and related expenses. Unless otherwise approved in special cases, all grants will have a duration of 12 months.

3.3 Technical Requirements

• All team members must submit to a pre- and post-funding SDG assessment to encourage and track progress in SDG education and awareness.

• In line with the core objectives of the PSAU GSP, each project outcome must align with the thematic categories of the PSAU SDG Roadmap and clearly address at least one of the SDGs. This scope must be explicitly stated in the project proposal, as well as in the mid-term and final project reports.

• The project team bears sole responsibility for ensuring that the chosen journals, article titles, keywords, and abstracts reflect the scope of the approved project and align with the categories and SDGs outlined in the PSAU SDG Roadmap (Section 2). This alignment is mandatory for funding approval and project completion.

• A list of suggested journals is provided in the appendix of this announcement for guidance. However, it remains the project team’s responsibility to ensure that any chosen journal meets all the programme’s terms and conditions.

3.4 Authorship and Acknowledgement

1. A PSAU faculty member shall serve as the first or corresponding author for all outcomes funded under the programme. This will be decided by the team based on contributions made, institutional policies, and best practices.

2. At least 75% of the authors of each publication (including those from PSAU GSP partner institutions and organisations) must be affiliated to entities within countries designated as low-income or lower-middle-income by the World Bank (listed here).

3. At least 50% of the student members in the team must be co-authors in each publication.

4. For articles with more than three co-authors, at least one should be a female.

5. A graphical abstract must be submitted, highlighting the contributions of each project outcome and their relevance to the PSAU SDG Roadmap categories and UN SDGs.

6. Ownership of outcomes related to entrepreneurship and innovation will be determined based on contributors’ roles and applicable institutional policies.

7. All outcomes must acknowledge PSAU GSP funding with the following statement:

"This project is sponsored by Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) as part of funding for its PSAU Global South Partnership (GSP) project number PSAU-GSP-RDFP-2025-0×××."

3.5 Others

While the team members bear full responsibility to ensure compliance with the grant conditions, for publication titles and keywords, it is recommended to use action-oriented terms and themes rather than purely topical terms. For example, where appropriate, use a phrase like “end hunger” instead of “hunger”. Similarly, consider referencing outcomes in terms of their impact (e.g., “crop production”) in titles and keywords. This approach should also be applied when linking outcomes to the SDGs and their indicators.

When in doubt about any of the above requirements, please contact PSAU RASU at PSAU-advancement@psau.edu.sa or a.iliyasu@psau.edu.sa.

List of suggested journals for PSAU SDG Research Funding programme (RFP)

Please note that this list merely suggestive. It is your responsibility to ensure that the journal meets the guidelines stipulated for the PSAU Global South Partnership Research Funding Programme

*As of June 2023