Page 144 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

FUNDING HEALTH INNOVATION

Grants Innovation and at developing, testing and/or implementing new
Product Development or improved health solutions (Indicators 3.1.1 and
3.1.2). In the 2023/24 financial year, a total of five new
Funding research and facilitating innovation are two innovation and technology projects (indicator 3.1.1)
of the core activities of the SAMRC that enable the were supported through SHIP, aimed at addressing
organisation to contribute to the transformation the following disease areas: HIV, Malaria, TB, Non-
of health in South Africa and beyond. These communicable Diseases (NCD), and Maternal
activities are largely managed by the Grants, and Child Health (MCH). There were 21 on-going
Innovation and Product Development (GIPD) Unit, innovation and technology projects (indicator 3.1.2)
which manages over 300 active grants under 12 supported through SHIP in the past financial year,
programmes (depicted in the figure below), with spanning the following disease areas: COVID-19,
a total spend on research and innovation grants HIV, Mental Health, TB, and NCDs.
of R218,587,675 during the 2023/24 financial year.
These funds contribute directly to the generation Some key developments during the reporting
of new knowledge by the SAMRC’s grantees, with period include:
high-impact publications, capacity development
and the advancement of innovations being some of • The completion of enrolment of participants
the key outputs that speak directly to the SAMRC’s in the CAPRISA 012C trial, a phase II trial of a
strategic objectives and are helping drive health subcutaneous combination of the monoclonal
transformation in the country. The unit’s robust antibodies CAP256 + VRC07 to assess long-term
grant management standard operating procedures safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and preliminary
ensure that health research funding is effectively efficacy for preventing HIV infection in women in
and efficiently administered by the SAMRC and, South Africa and Zambia, with the last participant
together with successive clean audits, have expected to exit the trial in June 2025. Results
contributed to attracting substantial funding from are encouraging in that no safety concerns have
a variety of local and international funders. These been observed thus far. During this financial year,
strategic funding partnerships enable the SAMRC to SHIP has re-invested in a Council for Scientific
expand the funding pool for research and innovation and Industrial Research (CSIR) project aimed
substantially and have contributed to the SAMRC at local plant-based production of monoclonal
continually exceeding its targets for indicators 2.3.1, antibodies, which is expected to improve the
3.1.1 and 3.1.2. During 2023/24 they included the cost of production of monoclonal antibodies and
Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the thus improve accessibility of the intervention to
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the South Africans and contribute towards economic
Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), the ELMA development in the country.
Vaccines and Immunization Foundation and the • Another major development is the successful
Gabriel Foundation. establishment of a fully automated Artificial
Intelligence/Machine Learning virtual screening
Programme and Strategic cascade at the UCT Holistic Drug Discovery
centre (H3D), the first of its kind in Africa. The
Project Updates platform is anticipated to reduce costs and the
time it takes to discover new starting chemicals
Strategic Health Innovation
for drug discovery campaigns conducted at H3D.
Partnerships (SHIP)
The work was published in a high-impact journal
SHIP is a partnership between the SAMRC and the (Nature Communications).
DSI to facilitate and support health innovation to • The SHIFT-TB study, funded by the SAMRC through
address national priorities and enable the national SHIP and the Office of AIDS and TB, has been
system of innovation more broadly. SHIP is one of concluded, and resulted in the establishment of
the key programmes through which the SAMRC a highly productive clinical trial site in the Eastern
supports innovation and technology projects aimed Cape, and has provided important insights into

142 SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2023-24