The Emerging Researcher Programme (ERP) at the University of Cape Town was launched in 2003 in response to an urgent need for the building of research capacity in a new generation of researchers in South Africa. Focusing on issues such as:

• completing higher degrees
• writing for publication
• preparation of proposals
• research planning
• graduate supervision, the ERP draws on the expertise of retired senior academics – who work in conjunction with the programme co-ordinators – to assist academics in the development of their personal research profiles. 

The Emerging Researcher: Nurturing passion, developing skills, producing output is an account of what has been done in the ERP, the challenges encountered along the way, and what has been learnt in the process. As a model it could be adapted to other situations both within South Africa and in the broader African context.

Part 1 expands on the origin and implementation of the ERP, together with critical reflections on the first four years. Parts 2 and 3 focus respectively on the seminar and supervision training programmes that constitute core ERP business. These latter sections are based on material developed for and presented at seminars and workshops over four years.