Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients Cluster
The API cluster is another example of TIA’s approach to assessing value chains and stimulating the development of activities and interventions to facilitate sector or industry-level engagement through the crosscutting approach adopted in the Technology Innovation Cluster model. This approach is intended to address systemic weaknesses that hamper innovation and commercialisation beyond just the provision of funding to individual projects.
The API Cluster aims to drive technology development and commercialisation of API manufacturing in South Africa by focusing on the synthesis of small molecule APIs for human health using modern manufacturing technology. Emerging trends and competitiveness of the industry as well as the emergence of COVID19 are strong motivators to enhance the security of supply of critical drugs and address the imbalance of imports versus exports in this sector, positioning the country as a strategic regional API manufacturing hub. The cluster will stimulate industry competitiveness and world class API manufacturing in South Africa through leveraging existing skills, technologies and facilities available in South Africa
The strategy is underpinned by realigning current capabilities residing at various Higher Education Institutions, Science Councils and commercial companies towards a focused API process synthesis and engineering programme. The goal is the development of Drug Master Files for competitive manufacturing of targeted APIs and leveraging this to set-up a commercial pipeline for local API manufacturing. The intention is thereby to successfully demonstrate South Africa’s potential self-reliance on establishing API manufacturing capabilities.
Medical Device and Diagnostics Cluster
The Medical Devices and Diagnostics Innovation Cluster (MeDDIC) as a national initiative seeks to exploit a high concentration of skills, expertise, infrastructure and companies across South Africa within the medical devices field. The initiative is aimed at stimulating and intensifying technology innovation within the sector as well as encouraging an integrated ecosystem in support of increasing the competitiveness of the industry.
The cluster model advocates for the participation of both public and private entities, such as, but not limited to, the Department of Science of Innovation (DSI), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Industry Associations – South Africa Medical Device Industry Association (SAMED) and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association of South Africa (MDMSA), the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), National Treasury, the National and Provincial Departments of Health (NDoH and PDoH) and the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The cluster will also seek to create partnerships with international organizations well versed in the commercialization of health technologies.
The integrated ecosystem created by the cluster can collectively address major challenges by putting together the strategic competencies necessary to achieve the common goal of a sustainable and competitive medical device industry. The growth of the local industry will positively impact health outcomes in Africa and facilitate skills development and skills transfer in South Africa that would allow for sustainable employment growth.
Website: https://meddic.samrc.ac.za/
