Page 181 - SAMRC Annual Report 2024-2025

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

development finance, not-for-profit, philanthropy, of affordable and appropriate health-focused
and government funding sectors. technologies as well as broader health innovation
ecosystem development. GHIA has been supported
The SAMRC was fortunate to secure funding in over the last 8 years, from November 2016 to
2024 from the BMGF for a second phase of this November 2024, by a grant from the BMGF, which
initiative, with an increased funding envelope which has been the primary catalyst for GHIA’s growth,
will enable enhanced focus on even more critical evolution and activities and has been critical to
topics and focused events to coordinate a broader GHIA’s success. The grant was also instrumental in
pool of funders. The next major event is scheduled
for November 2025 in Cape Town and will feature attracting other funding and additional partners to
a joint session with the Global Grand Challenges support and expand GHIA’s activities. In compiling
partner network to strengthen ties between global the final report for the grant in January 2025, GIPD
health funders and African-led Grand Challenges was able to reflect on the progress of GHIA and
programmes. its impact on the health innovation ecosystem in
South Africa.
Innovation Over the last 8 years, the partnership with PATH
GIPD manages internal and external funding has provided an opportunity for the SAMRC
programmes aimed at delivering new health to learn from experts how to manage product
solutions, including the SHIP programme and development projects towards implementation in
Grand Challenges South Africa. The innovation low- and middle-income countries and to tap into
component additionally hosts the SAMRC’s PATH’s networks. The grant from the BMGF was
Technology Transfer Office (TTO), the Global Health targeted at establishing and validating a working
Innovation Accelerator (GHIA), the Medical Device model for GHIA, progressing technologies towards
and Diagnostic Innovation Cluster (MeDDIC) and commercialization, attracting additional funding and
the SAMRC-TIA Seed Fund, all of which provide supporting the establishment of a functioning health
innovation support to protect and advance innovation ecosystem. An important objective of the
technologies towards commercialized products in BMGF grant was also to build the capacity locally to
order to address strategic goal 3 of the SAMRC. identify, evaluate, develop and commercialize health

technologies. Various staff members were trained
Technology Transfer Office and moved on to higher posts within and outside
The SAMRC’s Technology Transfer Office is the SAMRC. Throughout the grant period, a focus
responsible for managing the SAMRC’s compliance of the GHIA team was on fund raising for additional
with the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly and future activities. There was also a substantial
Financed Research and Development Act. Its focus on raising project-specific funding for driving
primary mandate is to identify, evaluate, protect and, the commercialization and introduction to market of
where possible, commercialize intellectual property individual GHIA projects. Overall, in excess of R158M
(IP) developed by SAMRC researchers and to raise was raised by and/or allocated to GHIA and GHIA
awareness of IP issues within the organisation. The projects from the start of the grant in 2017 to 2024,
TTO also advises on IP issues in contracts with external including an SAMRC-TIA Seed Fund. In excess of
parties. One new invention disclosure was received 25 projects have been supported to progress towards
during FY2024/25. This disclosure relates to a novel commercialization under the GHIA programme.
advanced cell culture method for the development
of human-derived left ventricular cardiac spheroids It was important for GHIA’s success to have an in-
for chronic studies, including drug-screening and depth understanding of the local health innovation
development. This work was done in collaboration ecosystem, its role-players, capacity, strengths,
with the University of Stellenbosch. barriers and challenges, as well as improved capacity,
cooperation and coordination within the ecosystem.
Global Health Innovation Accelerator GHIA implemented several initiatives towards
The Global Health Innovation Accelerator (GHIA) is this goal, some of which were completed jointly
a partnership between the SAMRC and PATH aimed with or under MeDDIC (see below). They include
at driving global health innovation and capacity completion of a medical devices landscape analysis
building. Specifically, GHIA supports the local in 2022; hosting the secretariat for a Medical Devices
development and implementation of a portfolio Stakeholder Forum; and development of a medical

SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2024-25 179