Capacity Building

Growing human capital is critical to the economic growth of the region and Africa at large. Capacity building is a critical aspect of SANBio's activities, as the lack of suitable expertise in the region is one of the major barriers to the uptake of biotechnology and the development of appropriate solutions by organisations within the region. Capacity building will increase the science base and provide training for those in support areas such as policy, public understanding of biosciences and ethical issues.

Capacity building aims to address the needs of the region, and be relevant to the trainee's country and project based. All projects will have a capacity building component. One of the challenges is to ensure that trained personnel receive suitable infrastructure and opportunities for growth in their home country. This issue could be addressed by providing good infrastructure and salary incentives in the Hub and Nodes.

Realizing the potential of women scientists in Africa will be given particular attention and support in all aspects of capacity building and training at SANBio. In addition, young scientists need to be encouraged and helped to take up research careers in Africa. One third of post graduate training will be targeted towards women scientists.