Research development

Division Manager: Dr Thabi Maitin
E-mail: thabi.maitin@mrc.ac.za

Health research is a systematic activity that continually generates new knowledge by contributing to the extension and application of the existing body of knowledge. It is this continuous generation and application of knowledge that enables the MRC to fulfill its vision of Building a Healthy Nation through Research.

Research capacity development is a process of building and enhancing the competencies of individuals and of creating supportive and enabling environments at institutions in order to bring about a greater ability to perform relevant and excellent research. In the South African context this involves:

• Building on our strong biomedical research base to ensure that we have the appropriate capabilities in rapidly developing fields such as genomics and bioinformatics.
• Ensuring that we develop appropriate research capabilities across the full spectrum of health research while focussing on areas with limited capacity such as public health, the behavioural sciences, ethics and human rights.
• Facilitating greater involvement of individuals from the Historically Black Universities and Technikons in health research.
• Creating opportunities for nurses and the allied health professionals to advance their research capabilities and to develop scientific leadership for health research in these disciplines.
• Developing and retaining a strong human resource base for health research in South Africa.