??Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU) is part of a groundbreaking fellowship programme that over the next three years will produce more than 100 scientific leaders able to strengthen African capacity in critical areas of genomics and bioinformatics.
In partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, who contributed an initial US$ 9 million, and the Institute Pasteur in Dakar (IPD), SU's Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) has launched the African STARS Fellowship Programme aimed at nurturing the continent's new healthcare research leaders and creating a skilled workforce in genomics, diagnostics, and vaccine design and production in Africa.
Prof Wim de Villiers, SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor hailed the programme as a “transformative initiative designed to develop the next generation of African scientific leaders", at the official launch held at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science's Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI).
“This programme aims to bridge the gap between science and industry by equipping fellows with the skills to address Africa's pressing health challenges while fostering biotechnology innovation and job creation, structured training programmes, industry placements and collaborations with organisations like Thermo Fisher Scientific and Afrigen, ensure that fellows are prepared to lead in their field."
Multidisciplinary and collaborative, it involves key SU stakeholders including the Stellenbosch Business School and Innovus, as well as valued partners such as government, Oxford university and local and international industry leaders, added De Villiers.
In addition, the initiative will leverage previous investments in fellowship programmes at CERI in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank, the European Commission, and the GIZ. Together, these programmes have already trained 600 fellows towards strengthening African capacity in critical areas of genomics and bioinformatics.
“It is fair to say that this programme is an unparalleled opportunity to shape the future of African science and healthcare. It does this by developing leaders, fostering innovation and strengthening industry partnerships – paving the way for a self-sufficient and resilient Africa," said Prof De Villiers.
As Prof Tulio de Oliveira, Director of the CERI, pointed out: “Africa has the fastest growing young population in the world, and young Africans have limited employment opportunities. We not only have to generate employment, but we must deal with the challenges they face." Prof Sibusiso Moyo, deputy vice-chancellor: Research, Innovation and Post Graduate Studies, expanded on this, saying: “Through research we can help to find contextualised solutions to meet the continental need."
Prof de Oliveira added pointed out the dearth of scientists from Africa working on the continent. “We do not have sufficient high-level scientists and often, after we train them, we cannot retain the scientists and innovators in Africa. We need to create the ecosystems to attract, train and retain them."?
The African STARS fellowship will elevate training in Africa by creating structured programmes and providing up to two years training and fostering partnership with big industry and biotechnology innovation hubs with the ultimate objective to create jobs that will retain and attract talented scientists to the African continent.
The first phase will fund 131 fellows over three years, with an emphasis on inclusivity and equitable representation across all African regions. The initiative aims to ensure that 60% of trainees are young women, addressing the gender disparities prevalent in the science and technology fields.
Dr Solomon Zedwu, CEO of the END (a private non-profit organisation dedicated to combating the five most common neglected tropical diseases) Fund and former senior executive resident, Mastercard Foundation, said it is not enough to train African scientists without trying to retain them. “What we are doing effectively now is training for the world. While young Africans are getting employment, they are not getting employment in Africa. This is really putting the continent backwards and it is not pushing it into a space where Africa can compete with the rest of the world and contribute to solving problems on the continent." The STARS programme however takes training to the next level, connecting scientists to industry opportunities to create a demand for their skills on the continent, he added.
The programme will include two structured master's programmes of two years, including a master's in business administration (MBA) on Health Care Leadership and a structured Masters on Pathogen Genomics and Bioinformatics. It will also have two short term fellowships focusing on intense training on advanced genomics for public health analysis, genomic diagnostic design, and/or aspects around vaccine manufacturing and the Young Professional Program (YPP) offering 12 months of training focused on biotechnology innovation and entrepreneurship. This will include placement at commercial companies, industry or innovation hubs.
Dr Richard Gordon, Director for International Business Development, South African Medical Research Council, endorsed the programme's strong emphasis on employment. “Unless we link training to some kind of employment and innovation, we won't change anything on the African continent." He referred to the job multiplier effect as a boon of the Africa STARS Fellowship Programme. “In Africa, for every job created in science, you create 20 other jobs in supply chain or manufacturing, etc. So, if we create 100 posts with this fellowship, we will create 2 000 jobs. This is why we invest in science."
According to Dr Xavier Berthet, Director of Research Education and Innovation at IPD, Africa will have the largest pharmaceutical market in the world in the next 100 years. It also has the youngest population Dr Berthet cautioned that if these youth are not employed unrest is likely. Science and healthcare therefore have an important part to play in promoting peace, he said, which makes this fellowship programme even more valuable.
To provide comprehensive support to the Fellows in the African STARS Programme, CERI will collaborate with the Centre for Collaboration in Africa (CCA) at SU International. Fellows will be fully integrated into various activities and programmes at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 through the Internationalisation services offered at SU International, to ensure that the Fellows make the most of their stay at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票. The CCA will also support the Governance of the African STARS Fellowship Programme, ensuring accountability at all levels.
“Innovation is not just about creativity. It is about bringing it to the market and bring it to a place where it can have impact," said Anita Nel, SU's Chief Director: Innovation and Commercialisation. As half of Africa's population is currently younger than 20, there's an enormous responsibility on research to create opportunities for innovation and employment, she explained. “In Africa, the industry is not advanced enough to take early-stage technology from universities to bring it to market.
She emphasised the importance of starting new companies and working with researchers to source investment, and empowering students to not only become employable, but to become employers themselves. “We keep turning students into excellent researchers who earn salaries, but let's turn them into people who pay salaries with the technologies that we develop. That is how we can develop industries in Africa."
More about the African STARS Fellowship Programme and application details: https://starsfellows.africa
Additional information
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI)
The Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) is led by Prof Tulio de Oliveira, a leading internationally recognized scientist who is now placed in the Top 1% of highly cited researchers globally. CERI is a specialised genomics facility of the WHO AFRO and the Africa CDC and a training hub for Africa. In the last three years has hosted >600 fellows from 50 African countries for advanced training in epidemic preparedness and response.
CERI is based at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 within the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking and works across 中国体育彩票 of Health and Medical Science and Faculty of Science and other SU entities contributing to research and innovation in South Africa.
Centre for Collaboration in Africa
The Centre for Collaboration in Africa (CCA) is a Centre in Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 International, which aims to create an enabling environment for Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 to partner with other institutions in the African Continent.
Institute Pasteur Dakar
Created in 1924, Institut Pasteur de Dakar works to accelerate equitable, sustainable and affordable access to health?in?Africa. As a Senegalese not-for-profit foundation recognized as being of public utility, IPD provides communities with healthcare solutions and laboratory services, engages in cutting-edge biomedical research and innovation, manufactures vaccines and diagnostics essential to African populations, develops human capital, and engages in public health activities such as epidemic intelligence, outbreak response, and surveillance.
Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation is a global organization that aims to advance education and financial inclusion across Africa. Through partnerships and innovative programs, the Foundation envisions a world where everyone can learn, work, and thrive.
?Photo: CERI Media, Captured: JikaJika Media
