A VISIT OF VISION

This month, KRISP had the distinct honour of hosting Dr Mlungisi Cele, the newly appointed Director-General of South Africa’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), for a guided walkthrough of our genomics laboratories at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This was part of his first visit to UKZN as DG to familiarize himself with the work and projects that the DSTI supports.

Dr Cele’s visit comes at a pivotal moment for South African science, as momentum builds to strengthen local research ecosystems and scale innovation-led public health solutions, in light of the recent international funding cuts. During the visit, the KRISP team had the opportunity to showcase how cutting-edge genomic science is being applied to real-world challenges in South Africa and beyond, but also the people—scientists, students, and collaborators—who bring this science to life. From high-throughput sequencing platforms to our training and capacity-building programmes, the KRISP and CERI teams highlight the essential role that local research infrastructure plays in advancing public health, precision medicine, and outbreak response.

The DSTI has long been a steadfast ally of the genomics community, playing an important role in shaping the national research agenda and fostering the conditions for excellence. Through their ongoing support, initiatives like ours have been able to build and maintain world-class capacity, respond to public health challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and contribute meaningfully towards the global knowledge base.

“We are so proud to host the new Director-General of DSTI! It is so important to work with our government to advance science, technology and innovation,” said Prof Tulio de Oliveira, Director of KRISP.

“Visits like these underscore the importance of sustained collaboration between government, academia, and research institutions,” said Dr Jennifer Giandhari, Laboratory Head at KRISP. “They help to align our shared vision for a more resilient, innovative, and healthsecure South Africa.”

Dr Cele’s visit served as both an endorsement of the work being done and a renewed call to action to strengthen science policy and infrastructure across the continent.

KRISP looks forward to deepening its collaboration with Dr Cele and the DSTI as we continue to build a future where African science leads, informs, and delivers for all.

CAPTION: Dr Mlungisi Cele engages with KRISP staff during his tour of our state-of-the-art genomics facilities at UKZN.