Page 40 - SAMRC Strategic Plan

As a way of promoting the responsible conduct 10.4.2.8. Funding Research
of research, the SAMRC encourages all the staff Research Capacity Development
members who have knowledge of occurrence of a The SAMRC's Research Capacity Development
breach of research norms and standards or research programmes are streamlined funding mechanism
misconduct or have good reason to suspect that a to support the growth of health research capacity,
breach of research norms and standards or research by offering multiple strategic capacity development
misconduct has occurred to promptly report any grants and career awards in the national research
reasonable suspicions to the Research Integrity priorities and directly contributing to the national
Office of the SAMRC. targets for research capacity development as well as
transformation.
The SAMRC subscribes to the following principles
on ethical research and scholarly publishing Research Grants
practices: (1) responsibility, (2) ethics and integrity, The SAMRC's Grants Innovation and Product
(3) methodology and data, (4) authorship, (5) Development Unit (GIPD) manages a number
acknowledgement of contributions, (6) peer of research grant programmes, many of which
review, (7) social awareness, (8) conflicts of interest, are delivered in partnership with other local and
(9) editorial independence, (10) ethical research international funders, that support discovery
publishing environment, (11) avoidance of predatory research within the SAMRC’s key priority areas.
journals and unethical editorial practices, and (12)
quality over quantity. Innovation
The SAMRC supports health innovation, through
10.4.2.7. Publication in Open Access journals strategic partnerships and grants managed by
The SAMRC appreciates the importance of Open the GIPD. These are aimed specifically at product
Access to science and research and has since joined development and technology platform support.
cOAlition S, a platform created for accelerating
the transition to full and immediate Open Access The Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships
to scientific publications. A guiding document of (SHIP), hosted by the SAMRC and supported by
cOAlition S is the Plan S, which aims for full and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI),
immediate Open Access to peer-reviewed scholarly funds and manages innovation projects focused
publications from research funded by public on the development of new drugs, treatments,
and private grants. In addition to the scholarly vaccines, medical devices and prevention strategies.
publications, cOAlition S also encourages that SHIP forms part of the GIPD directorate and is the
research data and other research outputs should be key driver of innovation through the SAMRC-DSI
made open as possible and closed as necessary. partnership.

At the end of the 2023/24 financial period, about 10.4.2.9. Research Support
eighty percent of the publications from the SAMRC The attainment of the SAMRC’s mission of advancing
affiliated researchers and those researchers that the nation’s health and quality of life and addressing
acknowledge support from the SAMRC were inequity by conducting and funding relevant and
published in Open Access journals. While these responsive health research, capacity development,
statistics are encouraging, there is a need for the innovation and research translation, is aided by a
SAMRC to put strategies in place to ensure that cadre of professional and capable research support
all research publications emanating from research divisions. The primary objective of these divisions
either partially or fully funded by the SAMRC are is to ensure compliance with legislation, adherence
published in Open Access journals and that final to ethical requirements, compliance to contract
accepted and/or published outputs are deposited requirements, and availability of resources within
in the SAMRC Institutional repository. their jurisdiction and control.

SAMRC STRATEGIC PLAN 2025/26 – 2029/30 39