Page 21 - SAMRC Strategic Plan

PART B: SAMRC STRATEGIC FOCUS
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(a) Research on South Africa’s quadruple burden the scholarship and career award beneficiaries
of disease: maternal, newborn and child health; were black and more than 70% female.
HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; noncommunicable (h) Growing and responsibly managing funding
diseases; and interpersonal violence including GBV. for health research and innovation - Another
(b) Research into the South African burden of of the SAMRC’s strategic priorities is funding
disease and mortality rate(s) which leads to high-quality and impactful health research and
the production of an annual Rapid Mortality innovation in the country. This is achieved through
Surveillance Report. SAMRC grant programmes, strategic funding
(c) Research is conducted within legal and ethical partnerships and bilateral and multilateral
frameworks, and with integrity. It contributes to funding partnerships with a variety of countries,
knowledge generation, the development of new including those in the BRICS network and from
technologies, building the next generation of the Global North. Health innovation towards
researchers, and research translation and shaping the development of new products and services
of health policies. to ensure health impact is supported through
(d) Transformation, which to date remains an integral grants, hands-on support and broader ecosystem
part of building sustainable health research development. The SAMRC’s baseline grant from
capacity in South Africa. The demographics of the the NDOH has been effectively used to support
Board and Executive Management Committee high-quality projects across the value chain,
(EMC) have, over the years, changed to be spanning different types of research and key
inclusive of different races in the country. priority areas. It has also been used successfully to
(e) The separation of duties between the Board and leverage substantial additional funding flows into
the EMC is in line with the principles of good the country for health research and innovation
corporate governance as described in the Kings’ through strategic funding partnerships with
Reports. national governments, and philanthropic and
other national health research funders.
(f) The commitment to Corporate Governance
remains unwavering in ensuring efficient internal (i) Building the health innovation ecosystem in
controls and upholding good governance. This South Africa - Funding individual projects
is demonstrated by the consistent attainment of advance science in key priority areas and builds
clean audit results from the Auditor-General over capacity in research teams; however, the SAMRC
multiple years. recognises the need to build the broader health
(g) Building the next generation of health innovation ecosystem to enhance efficiencies
researchers, where one of the five strategic and ensure that research impacts the health
programmes of the SAMRC is research capacity of the nation. The organisation supports a
development (RCD) with the aim of building number of initiatives towards this aim, including
and transforming the next generation of health the research and development programme
researchers. The SAMRC’s RCD platform now of the mRNA technology transfer hub (led by
offers 11 programmes, spanning the pipeline the WHO and Medicines Patent Pool), which is
from Masters's degrees to support for mid- supporting the full vaccine development pipeline
career researchers, and supports more than from surveillance of emerging pathogens to
170 individuals per annum to conduct research vaccine candidate development and testing and
towards higher degrees or to develop their manufacturing process development; capacity
research careers. The Bongani Mayosi National development for vaccine manufacture through the
Health Scholars Programme is contributing to the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation-SAMRC
national aim of increasing the number of PhDs in programme; the Technology Innovation Agency
the health sciences, including clinicians. Notable (TIA)-funded Medical Device and Diagnostic
in these programmes is the focus on black and Innovation Cluster (MeDDIC) and SAMRC-TIA
female beneficiaries. By 2023, more than 80% of Seed Fund, aimed at increasing local innovation

20 SAMRC STRATEGIC PLAN 2025/26 – 2029/30