Mid-career researchers stuck between a rock and a hard place

Funding for mid-career researchers in South African universities is declining, even though scientific progress could be accelerated by allocating adequate financial resources to this category of research cadres.

According to Dr Moloko Mathipa-Mdakane, a research fellow at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria, and Dr Michael Nxumalo, the director of international grants and partnerships at the National Research Foundation of South Africa, mid-career researchers in South Africa are at risk of falling into a critical gap in which they are no longer eligible for career development financial support.

Mid-career researchers are scholars who have progressed beyond the early stages of their research careers, typically having completed substantial research periods after their PhD or equivalent training and may have directed or closely guided the work of others.

In the paper, ‘Capitalising on “the missing middle” dilemma to strengthen South Africa’s research pipeline’, published in the South African Journal of Science on 1 March 2025, the two researchers argue that lack of a strategic research funding model for most researchers threatens to stall innovative potential and progress in South Africa’s research ecosystem.

“Funded researchers produce more publications than those without financial support, with their output being 22 times higher,” Mathipa-Mdakane and Nxumalo write, quoting a survey on the relationship between the distribution of research funding and scientific performance globally.

No tailored funding

In South Africa, researchers are categorised into three groups: early-career, mid-career and established senior and elite researchers, a system defined by how long a researcher has had a PhD degree. Early-career researchers are individuals who have earned their PhD within the past five years and are generally between 30 and 40 years old. Mid-career researchers, on the other hand, are those with approximately 5-10 years of experience following their PhD.

Beyond the mid-career stage, senior researchers serve as principal investigators in projects and hold the academic rank of professor or are researchers with equivalent education and training.

One of the significant barriers preventing mid-career researchers in South Africa from becoming established academics is the lack of tailored funding for them. “Unlike early-career researchers, who benefit from strategic funding and mentorship programmes, mid-career professionals find themselves in a funding limbo,” the authors state.

Subsequently, given that this group is caught in a severe research funding gap, they are forced into competition for limited opportunities, which threatens the continuity and momentum of their research.

According to observations made by the two researchers, the challenge is not confined to individual researchers but also affects PhD enrolments due to rising shortages of qualified faculty which, in turn, affects the quality of mentorship and training.

Much harder for women

Other challenges that mid-career researchers encounter in South Africa and many other countries on the continent include increased workload, career development, less faculty attention, feelings of neglect, the pressure to remain competitive, short-term contracts and rejection of manuscripts, according to the researchers, citing the 2021 study, ‘Early- and mid-career transitions to research leadership in Africa’.

According to Dr Linda Mtwisha, the executive director of research at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and lead author of the study, mid-career researchers in Africa further face increasing responsibilities, such as leading research teams, mentoring junior colleagues, and managing higher administrative burdens. “For women, it is much harder, as they are expected to ‘first sort out’ their home and social responsibilities and obligations,” Mtwisha said.

These demands are often not supported by the necessary institutional backing, which adds to the strain, Mathipa-Mdakane and Nxumalo state. Many mid-career researchers in South African universities lack the required infrastructure to conduct independent research and often rely on established researchers to serve as principal investigators.

Nevertheless, this sort of dependency limits their ability to demonstrate leadership and explore bold, innovative ideas that could shape their fields; in effect, it reduces their opportunities to secure funding.

Empowerment needed

However, according to Mathipa-Mdakane and Nxumalo, the problem in South Africa is exacerbated by the relentless pressure to secure funding and produce papers that overshadows opportunities for in-depth and transdisciplinary work. “Instead of pushing the boundaries of knowledge, many researchers are left chasing short-term goals.”

What makes it even harder for mid-career researchers is that mid-career academics are given administrative responsibilities and heavy teaching loads, leaving them with even less time for their primary pursuit of research.

To combat the challenges, Mathipa-Mdakane, Nxumalo, and Mtwisha suggest that funding state bodies and industry partners establish policies that address, not only the provision of more funds for research, but also the unique needs of different research cadres.

For instance, such policies should consider a succession plan due to the ageing senior researcher community in South Africa. One critical intervention suggested by Mathipa-Mdakane and Nxumalo is funding for mid-career researchers and ensuring support for career progression. In this regard, support should be provided through grants that empower mid-career researchers to strengthen their track record, scale up their projects, and secure stable academic positions.

Additionally, funding bodies should ensure that there are structured mentorship programmes for this group such as those provided to early-career researchers. Such programmes would ensure that researchers receive essential guidance on building networks, improving research impact and positioning themselves for leadership roles.

Erosion of talent

The authors also suggest that there should be an evaluation of the criteria for mid-career grants, which are currently based on extensive publication records or past leadership in large-scale projects. In this regard, the two researchers pointed out that such a narrow focus sidelines promising mid-career researchers who may not yet possess these credentials but have groundbreaking ideas. “Instead, funders should prioritise the innovation potential, the quality of preliminary work, and the strategic relevance of the research area.”

Accordingly, such a shift would not only be progressive in spreading research funding to many researchers but would also create space for mid-career researchers on the brink of breakthroughs that would make significant contributions to South Africa’s research landscape.

Equally vital is the need for continuity between early-career and mid-career funding, a scenario that would allow researchers to build on their previous work without interruption. The issue is that such a progression would preserve research momentum and prevent the erosion of talent that would occur when promising mid-career researchers are forced to step back due to financial constraints.

Collective effort

In effect, Mathipa-Mdakane and Nxumalo are paving the way for a sustainable research pipeline in South Africa. For now, the challenges faced by mid-career researchers are not confined to specific types of institutions but affect researchers across the higher education sector. “From historically advantaged to historically disadvantaged institutions, the plight of mid-career researchers is universal.”

However, moving forward requires a collective and coordinated effort from all stakeholders, including funding bodies, academic institutions, government agencies, and the researchers themselves. In this context, the two researchers suggest that funding bodies must lead the way by adopting innovative and flexible approaches and designing programmes that cater to the needs of each cadre of researchers.

Funding bodies should also investigate how to balance the concentration and dispersal of research funding, although studies highlighted by Mathipa-Mdakane and Nxumalo favoured the dispersal model, which involves distributing funds across a wider range of researchers, projects and institutions.

Subsequently, although funding gaps and transitional obstacles create significant barriers in South African universities, Mathipa-Mdakane and Nxumalo argue that most of the underlying funding gaps could be addressed through collaborative efforts centred on open communication. “By aligning expectations and defining roles, both parties can build a more supportive and effective structure, ensuring that no researcher cadre is left behind.”

But, for now, mid-career researchers in South African universities and other research institutions are at risk of falling into a critical gap, where they are no longer eligible for early-career support but are not yet eligible for established grants available to highly experienced researchers.