Page 115 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

In addition to BASSA, SAMRC and DIPLOMICS gave them better insights into the world of genomics,
collaborated on the SAMRC-DIPLOMICS Internship a field that they had not previously considered as a
Programme. This initiative addressed the shortage career choice. The SGP also hosted learners outside
of trained NGS technologists in South Africa by of the Gen-S programme throughout the year.
providing hands-on training. Three interns received
comprehensive training in DNA/RNA extraction, Our team has engaged with local media houses
library preparation, and sequencing at SGP, like News24, who have a wide readership as well as
subsequently integrating into SGP's operations. with international news agencies to promote and to
The internship programme's success was evident, inform the public of our work.
with interns securing positions or postgraduate
opportunities in the NGS field. Moreover, the SGP
served as a local training facility for field application
specialists (FAS) and field service engineers from
NGS service providers. Through an open-door
policy, the SGP provided training opportunities for
over 20 individuals from institutions outside SAMRC
in 2023, contributing to the development of NGS
expertise in South Africa.

These initiatives collectively aimed to democratise
access to sequencing technologies, strengthen
local capacity in genomic surveillance, and
address skill shortages in the NGS workforce.
Through collaborative efforts, the platform aims
to enhance South Africa's ability to respond to
public health challenges such as the COVID-19
pandemic effectively.

Science for creating a
healthier society

Instead of taking science out of the laboratory to
the community, the approach at the SGP is to allow
the community into the laboratory. We have an
open-door policy that attracted several community
members to visit our laboratories to gain better
insight into genomics.

We were one of the SAMRC laboratories that
participated in the SAMRC GenS Job-Shadow
programme. In June 2023, we hosted four high
school learners for one week. During this time, the
learners were able to interact with our staff and
learn how a Genomics facility functions. The aim
of this was to allow the learners to experience the
day-to-day operations of a Genomics laboratory by
job-shadowing staff members and performing basic
experimental procedures. The feedback received
was positive with many of the learners appreciating
the opportunity to be able to have some hands-on The Broadening Access to Sequencing in
practical experience. Additionally, they felt that it South Africa (BASSA) workshop.

SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2023-24 113