1. SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL 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 1.Mandate of the MRC 2.Vision, Mission and Values 3.Strategic Objectives 4.Corporate Governance 5.Research, Development and Technology Transfer 6.Strategic Research Initiatives 7.Key Strategic Initiatives 8.Implementation of Shared Values 9.MRC Budget 10.Health Research Priorities 11.Strategic Health Research Priorities 12.MRC Personnel and Productivity 13.Research Translation 14.Transformation 15.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. Corporate Governance BOARD President Board and Office Manager Exec. Secretary Committee Secretary Legal Services Exec Man. Corp. Affairs Vice President Research Exec Dir Innovation & Technology Exec Dir FinanceExec Dir Operations Manager Operations Manager Information Technology Strategic Research Committee Exec Man Human Capital Developmt Exec Man Research Admin & Management Exec Man Strategic Research Initiatives Exec Man Informatics & Knowledge Management 18 Intramural Unit Directors 25 Division Managers

8. 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 Research, Development and Technology Transfer

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 Source of income 2004/05 Rands thousands 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 Baseline 154 388 157 284 180 000 190 710 Contract and Grant 162 853 176 000 236 000 244 000 Total Year by year Increment 317 241 11% 333 284 5% 416 000 25% 434 710 5%

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 Cause of Death Research UnitsMortality % (Stats SA 2004) Baseline Expenditure Rands millions Global Expenditure Rands millions (% of total) HIV and AIDS HIV Prevention Research SAAVI 30?6.294.8 (29) TuberculosisClin and Biomedical Epidemiol & Intervention Cell Mol Biology Mol Mycobacteriology 146.544 (14) Heart and Stroke and Diabetes Chronic Diseases Cape Heart Group Exercise and Sports Diabetes Research 263.35.4 (2)

17. Health Research Priorities Causes of Death Research UnitsMortality % (Stats SA 2004) Baseline Expenditure Rands millions Global Expenditure Rands millions (% of total) Violence and Injury Crime, Violence and Injury92.72.7 (1) Brain and Behaviour Medical Imaging Anxiety and Stress 122 (0.6) Pneumonia and other infections Respiratory and Meningeal Diarrhoeal Pathogens Inflammation and Immunity Immunology of Infectious Disease Genital Ulcer Disease 18310 (10) CancerPROMEC Oesophageal Cancer Cancer Epidemiology 66.56.5 (2)

18. Health Research Priorities Cause of Death Research UnitsMortality % (Stats SA 2004) Baseline Expenditure Global Expenditure (% of total) Public Health Research Burden of Disease Health Systems Biostatistics Cochrane Centre Health Policy Rural Health Transition Telemedicine -14.214.8 (4.5) Nutrition Women, Maternal and Child Health Nutrition Maternal and Infant Mineral and Metabolism Gender and Health 2323 1 2.2 7.3 (2) 2.2 (1) Environment and Health 14.24.2 (2)

19. Health Research Priorities Cause of Death Research UnitsMortality % (Stats SA 2004) Baseline Expenditure Rands millions Global Expenditure (% of total) Health Promotion Health Promotion Alcohol and Drug Abuse -4.26.9 (2) Malaria African Traditional Medicines Malaria Indigenous Knowledge SA Traditional Medicines 1-1- 8 1.1 95 (29) 9.1 (2.8) Genomics and Proteomics Human Genetics Human Genomic Diversity Bone Research Bioinformatics Cap Dev Receptor Biology Liver Centre 22020 (6)

20. Strategic Health Research Priorities Scenario One : Address all Health Research Priorities Rands millions Scenario Two : Seize all Health Research Opportunities Rands millions Capacity Development2652 Cardiovascular Disease2550 Capital Expenditure2040 National Collaborative Research Programmes 60100

21. Strategic Health Research Priorities Scenario One : Address all Health Research Priorities Rands millions Scenario Two : Seize all Health Research Opportunities Refurbishment4060 Human Resource Development 4060 Innovation and Technology Transfer 2060 TOTALR 231 millionR 422 million

22. MRC Personnel The MRC is a ‘Knowledge creating company’ and people are therefore its most important resource : PERSONNEL 854 intramural personnel 458Research Scientists in 45 units 150 Scientists in self initiated research projects 216PhD students 150 Master’s students 223SAAVI 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 MillionGovernment (20% of government health research expenditure) R240 MillionExternal 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 Occupational LevelBlack Mar 2007 Female Mar 2007 Executive Management 80 %20 % Senior Management65 %57 % Middle Management51 %63 % Skilled85 %72 % Semi-Skilled96 %67 % Unskilled95 %52 % Total82 %67 % 838 personnel : Black African 410 (49%) Coloured 155 (18%) White 153 (18%) SA Indian 120 (14%)

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

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 : 1.More adequately fund existing research efforts 2.Train more scientists – especially black african scientists; and provide career paths for researchers in general 3.Refurbish the ageing capital equipment in MRC research units 4.Exploit new opportunities in research such as stem cell research, genomics and proteomics, computational bioinformatics, behavioural science, and health economics 5.Provide more inputs for South Africa’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry 6.Exploit the biodiversity of South Africa in order to develop natural medicines and novel pharmaceuticals 7.Respond to health crises as they arise in terms of rapidly developing research and evidence-based solutions 8.Reduce the tendency to become ‘donor-driven’ in the MRC’s research portfolio 9.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