STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

 ACTIONS

1. Research strategy and business plan

• Research priorities
• Research unit restructuring

Develop and effectively implement a research strategy and plan that will enable the MRC to fulfill its mission and achieve its vision of 'building a healthy nation through research'.

Key aspects of the research strategy and business plan

• Sets out a five-year programme for implementation and review.
• Involves revision of MRC research structures.
• The definition and development of the research agenda and principles are based on national priorities in health and development as defined by the National Health Research Committee.
• Research and development agenda set within the National System of Innovation.
• The strategy and plan are designed within the context of global, African and South African health and development priorities and trends.
• Anticipates developments beyond the five-year planning period.
• Informed by the burden of disease of South Africa and Africa.
• Articulates how this research and development strategy would support the MRC vision, mission and strategic objectives.

2. Financial model strategy and plan
Develop and implement a financial model for the MRC that takes cognizance of the MRC's funding mix and ensures financial sustainability while delivering on its mandate.

Ensure that this financial strategy is firmly linked with, and supports, the research, transformation and
development plans of the MRC.

• Meet the challenge of financial sustainability.
• Set an appropriate funding mix to ensure that there is a balance between private and public research (to avoid becoming 'donor-driven').
• Design a cost-recovery model in order to avoid government funds cross-subsidising contract research.
• Address the need for a contingency reserve.
• Consider using surpluses to fund capital infrastructure.
• Negotiate with funders with a view to using part of interest to fund capacity development.
• Increase human resource development funding.
• Advocate for a doubling of baseline funding over 2007 -2010.

3. Opportunity and risk management
Identify opportunities and risks; develop and implement an opportunity and risk management strategy and plan to ensure growth in research, innovation, collaboration and total mandate delivery.

Action A: Research and capacity development
To raise an additional R180 million baseline funding over 2007 - 2010 to realise our new vision and mission, and to support the research strategy and a restructured MRC; and sustain it after that.

Capacity development:

• Career awardees - an additional eight to bring the total to 15.
• Black African PhDs - train 30 over the next three to five years.
• Postdocs - double the number to 25.
• Establish a Capacity Development Technical Support Unit.

Research: Create several new national collaborative research programmes, including cardiovascular disease research; Cancer Research in South Africa (CARISA).

Action B: Managing funders' interest

• Negotiate for reinvestment of interest into the same research projects for capacity development.
• The MRC must tighten up on interest from universities.
• Set up a project team to investigate the risk around the funding mix.
• Investigate contract staff going onto baseline.
• Establish a project office and implement a full cost-recovery model.
• Negotiate with the NDOH concerning contingency reserve.
• Consider a capital investment policy for replacement of technology assets.
• Use MRC reserves to refurbish the organisation.

Action C: Corporate governance

• Implement compliance and controls in line with the PFMA and King II Report on corporate governance.
• The MRC must set up a proper performance management system, which links strategy to the individual's KPIs using the balanced scorecard approach.
• Develop and implement a procurement policy addressing issues such as BEE, nepotism, patronage, research fraud.
• Board committees - establish a framework of responsibilities.

Action D: Risk management assessment continuous review

• Set up a proper performance management system, which links the strategy to the individual's KPIs, using the balanced scorecard approach.
• Conduct a risk assessment and put a fraud prevention plan in place.
• Create a safety and health plan.
• Put together a plan for ensuring that legal requirements are complied with, e.g. National Health Act, Human Tissue Act.
• The MRC's financial reporting and information disclosure must be reviewed and significantly improved.
• Financial reports and budgets to comply with PFMA requirements.
• Safety issues, ethics and a culture of professional discipline must be implemented.
• Implement values and address human rights issues, i.e. sexual harassment; disability policy, whistle-blowing, racism.

4. Capacity development
Implement transformation and development plan. The plan should take cognisance of scientific and human aspects.

Action A: Scientific capacity building

• Train 30 black African PhDs over next five years.
• Increase the number of career awardees.
• Develop/establish post-docs in strategic health research.
• Formal mentorship of research leadership.

Action B: People capacity building

• To increase the proportion of African scientists over the next five years, set capacity development targets for research directors through performance management and resource support.
• Develop and implement a leadership and management development strategy including succession planning.
• Review capacity in some support areas and shift excess capacity to core business activities.
• Review and improve productivity of core business activities.
• Increase the number of black African intramural directors.

Social transformation
The MRC should change to more closely reflect the face of the nation over the next 3 - 5 years. Currently 30 - 40% of staff are black African.

• Organisational transformation: develop and implement a culture for the MRC with supporting measurements and reward mechanisms.
• The strategy and plan must articulate the vision, mission and strategic objectives.
• Create and drive a new leadership culture - with effective communication and the presence of leadership, from board to junior management.
• Implement an internalisation strategy and plan for the values.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive diversity strategy.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive change management framework, strategy and plan aligned to national priorities and the national health agenda.
• Develop a coaching and mentorship programme for both management and science practitioner careers.
• Currently three out of the 23 division managers are African: increase the proportion over three years.

Business transformation

• Restructure support divisions in line with strategic objectives.
• Create separate legal entities to diversify the MRC.
• Implement the Financial model.
• Implement the Intellectual Capital Strategy and Plan.
• Continue with the implementation of the Informatics and Knowledge Strategy and Plan.
• Review and implement effective research collaboration strategies in South Africa, Africa and globally.

Action A : Strategic intellectual capital (IC) management
Intellectual capital includes human capital (which can be codified, e.g. patent publication, or uncodified, tacit knowledge) and social capital (networks and relationships). For the MRC to fulfill its mandate it is essential that it manages IC effectively and in a visionary manner.

• Leverage intellectual property (IP) for poverty alleviation/eradication and development: South Africa, SADC and NEPAD and Africa (Millennium Development Goals); including entrepreneurship and small business development.
• Leverage IC of the MRC to create safe, effective, affordable and accessible medicines for Africa.
• Create new IP-generating platforms in particular in the NEPAD system, e.g. systems biology.
• Define the intellectual capital and the strategic role of the MRC.
• Explore private-public partnerships (PPPs) as a suitable model for health innovation (technology transfer).

Action B: Stimulate a culture of building IC

• Develop systems and processes to convert tacit knowledge into codified knowledge (intellectual property).
• Build effective mentorship programmes for capacity.

Action C: Foster world-class IP management practices

• Implement the IP strategy.
• Create budget for the protection and exploitation of IP.
• Commercialise companies/internal corporate ventures.
• Incubate new technology platforms.
• Renew and manage current technology platforms.
• Implement a long-term biotechnology strategy.

• Create an understanding and appreciation of the value of knowledge management, especially in the MRC research community.
• Create a data warehouse for the MRC.
• Create a national research data warehouse.
• Optimise information and knowledge flow within the MRC and externally.
• Disseminate health research information to the general public.
• Develop and implement an IT business plan.
• Create a culture of knowledge sharing.
• Develop and implement an e-health research strategy.
• Create an integrated and fully functional knowledge and information management system.

• Consolidate the Research Translation Office, interacting with NDOH, DST as well as other government departments involved in health.
• Train more people in scientific writing.
• Build capacity in scientific writing in indigenous languages, as well as French: one third of Africa speaks French.

• Build capacity in the MRC president's office to enable him to take strong leadership with respect to managing stakeholders.
• Appoint a senior employee to manage the public affairs and communications portfolio in a pro-active, co-ordinated and strategic manner.
• Develop a comprehensive media and communication strategy.
• Involve the board members in actively promoting the MRC.
• Develop a stakeholder management plan and stakeholder database.