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Programme Director, Dr Thulani Dlamini, Chief Executive Officer of the CSIR; Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande; Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Lusizo Makhubela; CSIR Board Chairperson, Mr Vuyani Jarana; Members of the CSIR Board; Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Mlungisi Cele; Members of the...
Programme Director, Dr Thulani Dlamini, Chief Executive Officer of the CSIR; Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande; Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Lusizo Makhubela; CSIR Board Chairperson, Mr Vuyani Jarana; Members of the CSIR Board; Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Mlungisi Cele; Members of the Diplomatic Corps; Representatives of industry, academia and the scientific community; International development partners; Guests; Ladies and gentlemen; Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here today for the launch of the FuturePHARMA facility. This is truly a milestone in South Africa’s journey towards health sovereignty. A nation’s competitiveness rests on its ability to build world-class capabilities and to innovate. A nation’s progress depends on its ability to harness these capabilities to improve the lives and expand the prospects of its people. The FuturePHARMA facility signals our resolve as South Africa to harness science, technology and innovation in pursuit of sustainable development. It signals our resolve to grow our industrial capabilities and to achieve meaningful health security and sovereignty. Not so long ago, we were in the midst of the greatest global health emergency in more than a century. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us many lessons, chiefly that developing economy countries need to strengthen local scientific, technological and manufacturing capabilities if they are to safeguard the health of their people. The pandemic was a reminder that health security, economic resilience and national development are interconnected. It is therefore significant that FuturePHARMA represents a shift towards an ecosystem in which research, technology development, process development, clinical development, regulation, manufacturing, investment and procurement work together. It has been quite an experience to tour the facility and witness first-hand the advanced technologies, pharmaceutical development platforms and specialised capabilities that have been established here. I have had the opportunity to engage with the many scientists, researchers, engineers and technical specialists whose expertise and commitment have helped bring this vision to life. South Africa has a proud history of scientific achievement. Our researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs have consistently demonstrated that our country has extraordinary talent and ingenuity. Yet scientific excellence alone is not enough. Too many promising innovations struggle to move from the laboratory into further development, commercial production and broader social application. That is the challenge FuturePHARMA has been established to help address. The facility provides specialised infrastructure and expertise for pharmaceutical process development, scale-up and technology transfer. It occupies an important space between laboratory research and commercial manufacturing. It will help promising technologies progress towards clinical, regulatory and commercial pathways. The facility should not be understood as a conventional commercial pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. Its value lies in providing shared capabilities that are often too specialised and costly for individual researchers, universities and emerging companies to establish on their own. By making these capabilities available to a broader community, FuturePHARMA can strengthen the connection between research, technology development, scale-up and manufacturing. The facility provides access to specialised infrastructure and expertise and reduces unnecessary duplication of expensive capabilities. The success of FuturePHARMA will depend on the partnerships that are built around it: partnerships between Government, universities, research councils, industry, regulators, investors and other stakeholders. The open and collaborative character of FuturePHARMA is critical. As an asset within our National System of Innovation, FuturePHARMA’s success will ultimately be measured by the technologies developed, the companies supported, the partnerships created, the skills strengthened and the innovations that go on to make a difference. As we build partnerships across industry and society, we need to ensure in the first instance that all of Government works together. The pharmaceutical value chain cuts across several institutional mandates. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation leads on research, innovation, technology development, skills and strategic research infrastructure. The Department of Health leads on our health priorities, medicines and vaccines. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition is responsible for industrial development, localisation, investment and manufacturing. While National Treasury is central in public financing and sustainability. Regulatory institutions such as the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority are essential to ensuring that products can progress through the appropriate regulatory pathways. Our strategies, investments and programmes must reinforce each other. The emerging Pharmaceutical Roadmap, the Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing Strategy and related initiatives must connect our research and technology capabilities to national health priorities, industrial opportunities and market demand. We are building a connected system in which each institution and investment contributes to a common national objective. FuturePHARMA forms part of a wider set of investments aimed at strengthening South Africa’s health innovation, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing capabilities. Established manufacturing bodies and companies have an important role to play. Facilities such as FuturePHARMA and manufacturers such as Biovac should be complementary components of a broader value chain, with each contributing different capabilities. Our ambitions extend beyond our borders. The African Union and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have placed local manufacturing at the centre of the continent’s health security and sovereignty agenda. South Africa stands ready to use its strong research institutions, universities, regulatory capabilities and pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to contribute to regional value chains and partnerships across Africa. FuturePHARMA supports this ambition by creating opportunities for collaboration with African researchers, institutions and companies. Through FuturePHARMA, South Africa is investing not only in infrastructure but in knowledge, innovation and industrial capability. We are investing in the partnerships, skills and institutions that will allow that infrastructure to create lasting value for the nation and the continent. To advance inclusive growth and create employment, we must create pathways through which ideas generated in our laboratories become technologies, enterprises, products and industries. As Government we are committed to creating the conditions in which this can happen. This means investing in strategic research infrastructure and developing human capability. It means strengthening partnerships and creating stronger connections between research and industry. This facility stands as a symbol of what can be achieved when Government, academia and industry come together in pursuit of a common purpose. Let it inspire a new generation of scientists, engineers and innovators. Let it strengthen our economy, enhance our resilience and contribute to a healthier, more prosperous South Africa. I congratulate the CSIR, its scientists and technical teams, and all partners who have contributed to the establishment of FuturePHARMA. May this facility become a platform where South African knowledge is translated into technologies, where technologies become products, and where products create lasting social, industrial and economic value – both for South Africa and for our continent. I thank you.
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