Page 10 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

ACHIEVEMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

New Partnerships to Support SAMRC has been hosting and managing the SHIP
Research and Innovation programme since 2013, supporting around 50
for Health Transformation innovation projects per year. A highlight of 2023/24
reporting period was the additional commitment of
in South Africa and Beyond just over R265 million by the DSI to support SHIP

The SAMRC is ideally placed and is mandated until 2025/26. This commitment is critical for the
to contribute directly to health transformation in continuity of the current SHIP investments as well
South Africa and does so through its core functions, as expansion to support additional priority health
which include conducting research, funding research solutions that will impact directly on the health of
and supporting research capacity development, the nation.
innovation and research translation. While the
SAMRC’s contribution to health transformation Partnership with the NIH for the
has been immense throughout its history, this was US-South Africa Programme for
particularly heightened following the revitalisation Collaborative Biomedical Research
of the SAMRC between 2012 and 2014, which The US-South Africa Programme for Collaborative
resulted in a substantial increase in funding and Biomedical Research was established through
expansion of its research, innovation and capacity a Memorandum of Understanding between the
development programmes. Through research SAMRC and the US National Institutes of Health
conducted or funded by the SAMRC, substantial (NIH) in 2013 with the intent to (i) establish or
scientific advancements have been made on the expand long-term relations between scientists
extent, causes and management of the priority from South Africa and the United States, in order to
diseases and disorders in South Africa as well as the perform high-quality biomedical and behavioural
development and testing of new or improved health research leading to scientific discovery; (ii) build
solutions to address these, as evidenced throughout long-term collaborations focused on health research
this and previous annual reports. between NIH-supported institutions in the US
and South African institutions supported by the
A highlight of the reporting was the cementing of SAMRC; and (iii) foster the expansion of health
new and extension of existing funding partnerships research skills among programme participants,
that will bring in substantial additional funding with a particular focus on the transformational
through the SAMRC over the next 3-5 years. These agenda in South Africa. The SAMRC and NIH
partnerships and new awards will benefit the entered into a Grant Agreement in April 2014 for a
broader health research and innovation ecosystem matched commitment of US$4 million per year each
in South Africa, with some extending beyond our over 5 years to support collaborative biomedical
borders to include other African countries. They research projects between US and South African
include the following: investigators in the fields of tuberculosis, HIV/
AIDS, and HIV-related co-morbidities including
Extension of the Strategic
malignancies. In its first five-year Phase from 2014 to
Health Innovation Partnerships 2019, the joint programme supported a total of 34
Hosting Agreement awards to SA – US collaborative research projects,
Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships (SHIP) is a administered by the NIH. These projects have
flagship programme of the Department of Science generated outstanding scientific discovery, resulted
and Innovation (DSI) and a partnership with the in multiple publications and presentations, and
SAMRC created to coordinate and fund multi- trained many young investigators in South Africa.
disciplinary product development and innovation The SAMRC-NIH joint programme has also
projects in the field of health. Since its establishment strengthened South African research institutions'
in 2013, SHIP has been a significant contributor to research management and administrative capacity.
the national innovation system of the country. The The programme was extended for a further five

8 SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2023-24