Page 11 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

G EN ER A L I N F O R M A T I O N

ACHIEVEMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Responding to the withdrawal once-off grants for postgraduate students (MSc and

of US funding from the National PhD) whose studies were directly affected, alongside
Health Research and Innovation providing Equipment and Maintenance Support to
ensure that essential research equipment remained
Enterprise in South Africa functional.

Internal Response Through these interventions, the SAMRC contributed
In 2025, the South African Medical Research Council as a stabilising force during this difficult period as
(SAMRC) faced significant pressure on HIV and TB well as aided to preserve research momentum and
research following reductions in United States (US) ensured the continuity of high-quality health research
federal funding, which had traditionally supported within the SAMRC Intramural and Extramural research
a substantial portion of the country’s HIV and TB environment. The experience also accelerated a
research portfolio. In response to the significant shift toward greater sustainability, integration, and
disruption of the South African research landscape national alignment of health research, which may,
caused by the withdrawal of US federal funding, the in the end, see 2025 as the year of a shift to more
SAMRC through various mechanisms, proactively resilient, flexible, and independent research in Africa.
intervened to protect the nation's scientific progress
by cushioning the impact of these sudden financial External Response
losses. The SAMRC, through the office of the President and
the Grants, Innovation and Product Development
Within the intramural research programme, to
mitigate disruption and protect critical programmes, (GIPD) unit, also mounted a broader, nationwide
the SAMRC adopted a combination of stabilisation response to the funding crisis by establishing
measures, strategic reprioritisation, and system the National Health Research Enterprise (NHRE)
integration. Hardest hit were programmes focused Programme. The SAMRC President, with support
on HIV, TB and diversity-focused research; however, from the National Department of Health,
these rapidly pivoted to other research areas such as spearheaded efforts to raise funding to support
Mpox or cholera, considered new and diverse funding affected institutions and organisations, ensuring a
streams and consolidated staff and infrastructure. strategic, locally driven response to safeguard South
Our BRILLIANT programme of HIV vaccine research, Africa’s national health research enterprise from
terminated by USAID very early in January 2025, has severe attrition.
continued, albeit in a more condensed programme, In April 2025, a formal proposal titled “Proposal for
with new committed funders. As a first and immediate Support of South African National Health Research
response, the ELMA Relief Foundation committed Enterprise in Response to U.S. Funding Withdrawal”
R3 million to support the BRILLIANT pre-clinical was submitted to the National Department of
HIV programme, thereby ensuring the continuity Health, National Treasury and Department of
of this component. Staff who were appointed on Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) urgently
terminated programmes were consulted at every requesting a commitment from government to
new development to mitigate workforce losses as
much as possible and ensure that critical expertise the value of R400 million with the promise of co-
was retained within the organisation. funding support from the Gates Foundation and the
Wellcome Trust. In June 2025, a letter of response
As one way to support research during these uncertain was received from the Finance Minister, Mr. Enoch
times, the SAMRC reaffirmed its commitment Godongwana, addressed to the Minister of Health,
to strengthening South Africa’s research system Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, outlining support to allocate
by providing targeted support to the Extramural a total of R400 million over 3 years to the SAMRC,
Research Units (EMUs). This strategic intervention with R132 million of this allocation for immediate
provided critical interim financial support through release under the Section 16 Emergency Allocation.

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