On 13 December 2019, the Government of Flanders approved a grant of more than 2 million Euro for the 'South Africa-Flanders Climate Change Adaptation Research and Training partnership project: building the adaptation knowledge and capacity base' of the African Climate & Development Initiative (ACDI). This organization is part of the University of Cape Town.

The project establishes partnerships between three South African research institutions - ACDI (Western Cape), University of Fort Hare (Eastern Cape), University of Venda (Limpopo) - and Klimos - Acropolis, the Climate and Development Cooperation Research Platform of six Belgian universities, led by the KU Leuven. The aim is to increase knowledge in South Africa about climate adaptation and climate resilience.

Therefore the project aims at strengthening the South African capacity in the field of climate adaptation by training young people, especially from disadvantaged groups, at university level. The project provides 19 grants for research projects for master's students, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. The research projects must focus on the specific needs of communities, farmers, entrepreneurs, NGOs and / or local governments and formulate answers to policy questions from the national government. Short courses on climate adaptation and climate-related research are organized for the general public.
The grant is part of the Flanders - South Africa 2017-2021 Country Strategy Paper with the primary focus the fight against climate change.