SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

1. SOUTH AFRICANMEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Building a Healthy Nation Through Research Medical Research Council Budget and Strategic Plan 2007/2008 Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health Prof A D MBewu President, MRC 15 May 2007

2. Agenda • Mandate of the MRC • Vision, Mission and Values • Strategic Objectives • Corporate Governance • Research, Development and Technology Transfer • Strategic Research Initiatives • Key Strategic Initiatives • Implementation of Shared Values • MRC Budget • Health Research Priorities • Strategic Health Research Priorities • MRC Personnel and Productivity • Research Translation • Transformation • Conclusion

3. Mandate of the MRC The mandate of the South African Medical Research Council is legislated in terms of Act 58, 1991 : ‘the objects of the MRC are, through research, development and technology transfer, to promote the improvement of the health and quality of life of the population of the Republic, and to perform such functions as may be assigned to the MRC by or under this Act’.

4. Vision and Mission The vision of the is MRC : ‘Building a healthy nation through research’ The mission of the MRC is : ‘to improve the nation’s health and quality of life through promoting and conducting relevant and responsive health research’

5. MRC Shared Values ‘Cared’ • Communication : transparency, and freedom to challenge • Accountability : responsibility, teamwork, leadership and participation • Respect : dignity, honesty, fairness and integrity • Excellence and innovation • Development : reward and recognition

6. MRC Strategic Objectives The MRC mission is implemented through the following 9 Strategic Objectives : Promoting and conducting research Promoting and conducting research is the core business and primary strategic objective of the MRC as a Knowledge producing organisation. Without research, the vision of the MRC of ‘building a healthy nation through research’ cannot be achieved : 1. Research Strategy and Business Plan Professional support for research Research cannot take place, and staff cannot develop, unless supported by corporate professional services : 2. Financial Model Strategy and Plan 3. Opportunity and Risk Management 4. Capacity Development 5. Transformation and Development Plan Research Translation Research makes no difference to health and quality of life unless it is translated into interventions such as policy, practice, products, and health promotion which can have an impact on the health and quality of life of the nation : 6. Innovation Management and Technology Transfer 7. Informatics and Knowledge Management 8. Research Translation 9. Stakeholder Management

7. BOARD Board and Office Manager Exec. Secretary President Committee Secretary Legal Services Exec Man. Corp. Affairs Vice President Research Exec Dir Innovation & Technology Exec Dir Finance Exec Dir Operations ManagerOperations ManagerInformationTechnology Exec ManHuman Capital Developmt Exec ManResearch Admin & Management Exec ManStrategic Research Initiatives Exec ManInformatics & Knowledge Management 18 Intramural Unit Directors 25 Division Managers Strategic Research Committee Corporate Governance

8. Research, Development and Technology Transfer 1. National Collaborative Research Programme 2. Collaborative Research Group 3. Research Unit 4. Research Project - Self-Initiated - Developmental - Rapid Response 5. Research and Technology Entities - Research and Technology Platforms - Biotechnology Programmes 6. Commercialisation Entities

9. National Collaborative Research Programmes • Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes • CARISA • IKS and African Traditional Medicines • Tuberculosis • Malaria • Cross University Brain and Behaviour Research Initiative • HIV and AIDS – NAPRA

10. Strategic Research Initiatives • Italian HIV Vaccine Project - Phase II clinical trial - Health systems - HIV vaccine manufacture • NIH Clinical Trial Unit – MTN, HIV vaccine, HPTN, ACTG, PACTG • Nanotechnology – Mintek, WRC • Gold-based pharmaceuticals – Mintek, Prof Chibale • FIND Diagnostics – demonstration project of new diagnostic for MDR TB • Telemedicine initiative in KZN – Dr Molefi, Prof Mars • Proteomics – Prof Jonathan Blackburn

11. Research and Technology Entities - Research and Technology Platforms * Primate unit * Traditional medicines manufacturing plant * Bioinformatics * High performance computing centre (Meraka) - Biotechnology Programmes * SAAVI Commercialisation Entities - Spinout companies and licensing agreements * Gene Care : DNA-based cardiac diagnostic test * Stereotactic Neurosurgical Device * Carotino * Diabetes : ZADEC * Telemedicine * Genetic Ancestry * Traditional Medicines

12. Key Strategic Initiatives Six Key Strategic Initiatives for 2007 were identified in Feb 2007: • Corporate culture and implementation of shared values • Improve performance management system • Improvement of quality of support directorates • Grow funding of MRC • Review all policies of the MRC • Implement online management information system

13. Implementation of Shared Values • Project office - electronic management system • Fraud prevention plan • Whistle blowing • Sexual harassment policy • Communications • Salary adjustments and promotions • Organisational culture

14. MRC Budget

15. Changes in Budget Allocation Divert more funds from the support services to research Operational funding for support reduced by 10% (R 3 124 000) in 2007 by 4% in 2006 to 2006 Operational funds and equipment for research increased by 16% (R 7 075 895) extramural – R4 970 000 intramural - R2 105 895 75% of research operating, capital, and capacity development funds are now apportioned to the extramural environment (R 39 212 070) and 25% to the intramural (R13 206 681). * R1 050 000 extra for self-initiated research * R1.9 million for capital equipment in the 45 Units * R750 000 in seed funding for 3 new NCRPs * R3 455 895 extra for operating budgets of Units * R670 000 extra for capacity development

16. Health Research Priorities

17. Health Research Priorities

18. Health Research Priorities

19. Health Research Priorities

20. Strategic Health Research Priorities

21. Strategic Health Research Priorities

22. MRC Personnel • The MRC is a ‘Knowledge creating company’ and people are therefore • its most important resource : • PERSONNEL • 854 intramural personnel • Research Scientists in 45 units • 150 Scientists in self initiated research projects • 216 PhD students • 150 Master’s students • 223 SAAVI personnel • In total ~ 2000 employed by or associated with MRC

23. Productivity 1993 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 Peer reviewed 425 572 580 568 618 664 publications Staff 453 642 750 800 840 854

24. Productivity MRC total : 45 Units, 618 publications : - from 302 senior scientists; ratio 2.2 Intramural : 18 Units, 198 publications : - from 126 senior scientists; ratio 1.60 Extramural : 27 Units, 420 publications : - from 175 senior scientists; ratio 2.40 Self initiated : 120 projects, …..publications, - from 120 senior scientists

25. Productivity INPUTS R204 Million Government (20% of government health research expenditure) R240 Million External income R444 Million OUTPUTS 4 NRF ‘A’ Rated scientists 2 Orders of Mapungubwe 668 Peer reviewed publications (40% of South Africa’s health research output) 20 Patents – current and pending 20 Technical reports 49 PhD graduates per annum 50 M graduates per annum

26. Research Translation MRC vision : ‘building a healthy nation through research’ Research makes no difference to health unless it is translated GRIPPPP: Getting research results into : Policy Practice Promotion and Product Impact 664 publications (Research Report) produce over 1 000 units of knowledge with implications for policy and practice in all top 10 causes of death and disease In addition to the Annual Report and Research Report; there is the opportunity to provide a Research Translation Report that would list the items of new knowledge generated by MRC researchers every year, and their implications for policy, practice, product development and health promotion

27. Transformation 838 personnel : Black African 410 (49%) Coloured 155 (18%) White 153 (18%) SA Indian 120 (14%)

28. 100% 95% 90% 98% 80% Unskilled 70% 96% Semi-Skilled 60% 95% Skilled 50% 85% Middle Management 40% 55% Snr Management 51% 30% Executive Management 65% 20% 42% 80% 15% 10% 14% 0% 1997 March 2007 Employment Equity : Percentages of Black Staff at every Level in 1997 and in 2007

29. Conclusion The MRC Strategic Plan and Budget for 2007 will ensure that : • The MRC continues to grow and develop its portfolio of research, development and technology transfer activities • There has been a consistent year on year increase in the quantity (7%) and quality of MRC research publications, accounting for 40% of South Africa’s health research output • The growth in the external income of the organisation continues at a more reasonable pace (5%); whilst the baseline grant keeps track with inflation (6%) • Within the MRC there are increasing numbers of black and female scientists at doctoral and postdoctoral level • Translation of research results into policy, practice, products and health promotion continues • The MRC moves into the future confident that it can deliver on its mandate of using research, development and technology transfer to provide new health solutions for improving the health and quality of life of all South Africans

30. Conclusion However : there is a need for additional funds to : • More adequately fund existing research efforts • Train more scientists – especially black african scientists; and provide career paths for researchers in general • Refurbish the ageing capital equipment in MRC research units • Exploit new opportunities in research such as stem cell research, genomics and proteomics, computational bioinformatics, behavioural science, and health economics • Provide more inputs for South Africa’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry • Exploit the biodiversity of South Africa in order to develop natural medicines and novel pharmaceuticals • Respond to health crises as they arise in terms of rapidly developing research and evidence-based solutions • Reduce the tendency to become ‘donor-driven’ in the MRC’s research portfolio • Improve the process of translation of research results into policy, practice, product and health promotion

31. The MRC 2012 Dream

32. Building a healthy nation through research http://www.mrc.ac.za