South Africa is a Newton Fund partner country, launched in 2014.
South Africa has one of Africa’s biggest and most developed economies. The country has an advanced economy in sectors such as mining, transport, energy, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.
Science, technology and innovation has been fundamental to social, economic and environmental progress since 1994, as identified in the country’s National Development Plan. This has led to a stronger knowledge and innovation-based economy. It has also increased the participation of previously disadvantaged groups (black people and women) in research and development.
Despite this progress, the country is still faced with several challenges, including high levels of poverty and inequality, which the country’s national development plan seeks to address. South Africa’s 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation sets out the increased role for science, through the country’s national system of innovation (NSI), to address these challenges. The White Paper emphasises the core themes of inclusivity, transformation, and partnerships.
Against this backdrop, the South African Government is proud to be an equal Newton Fund partner, promoting science and innovation for development in South Africa, the UK and the region.
Main image: The UK-South Africa Newton Fund science and innovation partnership supports the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) initiative, which has developed MeerKAT radio telescopes across the Karoo of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa [Image supplied by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory].
Priorities for South Africa
UK-South Africa Newton Fund Health Research
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death in South Africa, killing over 60,000 people in 2020. New technologies have the potential to speed up diagnosis and treatment, cut TB transmission and improve patient care. But these life-saving innovations have not yet been implemented effectively in the places that need them most. Under South Africa’s National Priority Programmes, a team of researchers have been working together to evaluate and advance several new technologies that will help the country deliver accurate, affordable, and accessible TB diagnostic services and patient care.
Find out more about the study - https://bit.ly/3VIs247
Lack of population-specific data and testing criteria means it is still unclear what effect medication is having on the neuropsychiatric health of South African HIV patients. A Newton Fund collaboration with scientists from South Africa’s University of Cape Town and the University of Liverpool in the UK are working together to fill this knowledge gap. Researchers examined patients at the Gugulethu Community Health Centre in Cape Town to assess the impact of HIV and ARV drugs on their cognitive function and mental health.
Find out more about the CONNECT study - https://bit.ly/3ehZm0W
The African Cardiomyopathy and Myocarditis Registry Programme, referred to as the IMHOTEP study, is filling the knowledge gap of genetic origins of cardiomyopathy (a common form of heart disease).
The Newton funded international collaboration has brought together researchers from across Africa, the UK, and other countries around the world to investigate the clinical characteristics, genetic causes, prevalence, management and outcome of cardiomyopathy and myocarditis in children and adults.
Find out more about the project - New genetic discoveries to fight heart disease and premature deaths in sub-Saharan Africa | Global Challenges Research Fund & Newton Fund (newton-gcrf.org)
Infectious diseases are responsible for nearly 70% of deaths in Africa each year. Globally, drug-resistant infections are on the rise, making the search for new and effective medicines increasingly urgent. In 2010 Professor Kelly Chibale founded the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Scientists working at the H3D Centre are developing new drugs to treat an array of infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, anti-microbial resistance (AMR) and corona viruses.
Find out more about the study - http://bit.ly/3U0mfot
Drug-resistant infections caused by the misuse of antibiotic treatments killed over 1.2 million people worldwide in 2019. A major challenge to combating drug-resistant infections is a lack of new drugs being developed. To address this issue, scientists from South Africa’s Rhodes University and the University of Plymouth in the UK have set up an Antimicrobial Drug Discovery Hub.
Find out more about the study - http://bit.ly/3u93eG9
Susie Kitchens, Deputy Director of Global Research and Innovation at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Professor Paul Monks, BEIS Chief Scientific Advisor, talk about their lessons earned over the span of their careers and work at BEIS.
You can read Susie's lessons in full here - https://www.newton-gcrf.org/impact/da...
You can read Paul's lessons in full here - https://www.newton-gcrf.org/impact/le...
See the full campaign - https://bit.ly/lessonsearned
Making contaminated mine water safe for local communities
South Africa is facing a water shortage crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) has warned that significantly less rain will fall across South Africa (particularly the south-western region) over the next century. Temperatures are on the rise due to climate change, which means...
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South Africa has one of the continent's biggest and most developed economies. Up until 1994 it was ruled by a white minority government, which enforced a separation of races with its policy called apartheid. The apartheid government eventually negotiated itself out of power after decades of international isolation, armed opposition and mass protests. The democratically elected leadership encouraged reconciliation and set about redressing social imbalances, but the economy has struggled. Progress towards poverty reduction has slowed in recent years, with the $1.90 per day poverty rate increasing from 16.8% to 18.8% between 2011 and 2015. [BBC and World Bank]
Main image: Fieldwork. Credit: M-Africa and i-sense
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Global Challenges Research Fund
We help UK and international researchers and innovators address the key issues affecting developing countries.
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We build research and innovation partnerships with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to support social and economic welfare, tackle global challenges and develop talent and careers.