Page 161 - SAMRC Annual Report 2024-2025

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

FUNDING HEALTH INNOVATION

Grants Innovation and Some key highlights in 2024/25 include:
Product Development • Over 30 postgraduate students have been

The Grants Innovation and Product Development supported through SHIP-funded projects. Several
(GIPD) Unit of the SAMRC fulfils two of the core of these students are receiving drug discovery
functions of the organisation, namely, to support and development training through a capacity
research and innovation through a variety of grant development and transformation initiative funded
mechanisms, strategic partnerships, strategic by SHIP and supported by the UCT H3D team at
programs and innovation initiatives. These enable the University of Limpopo (Prof W Nxumalo) and
the SAMRC to support and build the health research University of Venda (Prof I Ramaite).
and innovation ecosystem in South Africa, drive • The UCT H3D team, led by Prof K Chibale, has
cutting edge scientific advancement and facilitate the developed a late lead compound with very good
development and testing of novel health solutions. in vitro and in vivo anti-M. tuberculosis activity
The total spend on research and innovation grants and safety profile. This has led to a collaborative
during the 2024/25 financial year was R185,680,758. effort with the Gates Medical Research Institute
GIPD’s robust grant management standard operating to advance this candidate toward preclinical
procedures ensure that health research funding candidate development. This new compound
is effectively and efficiently administered by the would represent a significant contribution
SAMRC and, together with successive clean audits, towards the global fight against TB, particularly
have contributed to attracting substantial funding addressing the need for new drugs to respond to
from a variety of local and international funders. the resistance of the pathogen to existing drugs.
Strategic funding partnerships established in the
previous financial year are enabling the SAMRC • Dr G Munhenga’s team at the NICD has made
to support an expanded portfolio of research and significant strides in optimizing mass-rearing and
innovation grants as well as R&D and manufacturing transportation of sterilized male mosquitoes,
infrastructure and have contributed to the SAMRC resulting in over 230 000 sterile mosquitoes
again exceeding its targets for indicators 2.3.1, released in a small-scale field trial in KwaZulu-
3.1.1 and 3.1.2. The strategic projects, programs Natal. This was preceded by extensive community
and innovation initiatives managed by GIPD during engagement which resulted in the community
2024/25 are depicted on the next page. embracing the project and improved general
health-seeking behaviour by the population.
GIPD Programme and Early entomological results demonstrate that the
released sterile mosquitoes were able to compete
Strategic Project Updates against wild-type mosquitoes, and induced
sterility in the wild-type population, resulting in a
Strategic Health Innovation
Partnerships (SHIP) decline in the density of the Anopheles arabiensis
population. This is the first demonstration of
SHIP was established by the SAMRC and the the success of the sterile insect technique in an
Department of Science Technology and Innovation African mosquito vector.
(DSTI) in 2013 to facilitate and support health
innovation to address national priorities and enable With the renewed commitment of funds for SHIP
the national system of innovation in a coordinated from the DSTI, the SHIP team successfully hosted
manner. SHIP is one of the key programs through priority-setting meetings to engage key stakeholders
which the SAMRC supports innovation and to inform the SHIP and SAMRC funding strategy for
technology projects aimed at developing, testing the next 5 – 10 years. A priority-setting meeting held
and/or implementing new or improved health in July 2024 focused on HIV, NCD and Precision
solutions for HIV, malaria, TB, Non-communicable Medicine, AMR, Digital Health, Mental Health, and
Diseases (NCD), Anti-microbial Resistance (AMR), Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health. The meeting
Maternal and Child Health (MCH), and COVID-19. received excellent support from the National

SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2024-25 159