Critical Infrastructure Programme (CIP)

CIP

Offers research teams and institutions for CIP in built environment, manufacturing, and energy systems.

The Critical Infrastructure Programme (CIP), administered by South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), provides cost-sharing grants for infrastructure projects that are deemed critical to attracting or retaining industrial investment — meaning the investment would not occur, or would not operate optimally, without the public co-funding. CIP targets roads, utilities, stormwater, power, and water infrastructure on or adjacent to industrial sites. The program accepts rolling applications with no fixed deadline; submissions are sent directly to CIPApps@thedtic.gov.za. The maximum grant per project is ZAR 50,000,000.

Grant shares are tiered by project type. Standard infrastructure projects receive 10–30% of qualifying costs, meaning the applicant must cover at least 70%. Projects in agro-processing, aerospace and defence, and water or electricity grid-independence receive up to 50%. Infrastructure in distressed municipalities or state-owned industrial parks can attract up to 100% funding. All applicants must be South African-registered legal entities with a minimum B-BBEE Level 4 rating; qualifying small enterprises (QSEs) are exempt, and a 15-month grace period post-application is available to achieve compliance. CIP cannot be combined with other dtic incentive schemes for identical infrastructure line items, and entities that have previously received funding under the Shared Economic Infrastructure Facility (SEIF) are ineligible for the same infrastructure.

The strongest applications document a credible counterfactual — demonstrating that the infrastructure investment would not proceed without CIP support — quantify the downstream industrial investment that the infrastructure will unlock, and provide detailed cost breakdowns tied to qualifying cost categories. Applicants in agro-processing or those pursuing grid-independence projects should highlight their sector classification explicitly, as it unlocks the more favorable 50% grant tier. Project inquiries can be directed to CIPContact@thedtic.gov.za.