• Wits University’s Research Office is working to establish a fund to help access large research instrumentation in other countries.
• The university is also developing a centralised instrument strategy to make equipment and instruments available to all academics and students.
• In 2024 the Research Office secured equipment grants worth R56 700 000 from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau Development Bank in Germany.

Research is tremendously important for universities and society at large as well. The work done by researchers helps push society forward with new discoveries, medical research and even advancing the level of education provided within the university.

This research is often heavily dependent on access to the proper equipment and unfortunately, this equipment can be incredibly costly. Wits University has been working to enhance its research capabilities over the last decade with a focus on securing cutting-edge equipment in hopes of attracting emerging scientists, creating partnerships and providing training.

In 2024 the University’s Research Office secured equipment grants worth R56 700 000 from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau Development Bank in Germany.

Research equipment is acquired by the university in three ways. The first is through applications to the University Research Office which evaluates proposals and allocates funds. Applications can also be submitted to the South African National Research Foundation via the Research Office. Finally, equipment can be acquired via external funders.

The university classifies the applications it receives based on the equipment cost. A minor application is for equipment that costs between R80 000 and R500 000 while a medium application is for equipment that costs between R500 000 and R1.5 million. In 2024 19 medium and 31 minor applications were submitted and respectively nine medium and 15 minor applications were granted, representing an approval rate of 50 percent.

The equipment received as a result of the funding includes:

• An Enzyme Immunoassay multimode reader, cell imager and microplate washer. This is used to obtain a better understanding of biological function through the study of cellular dynamics.
• An AKTA flux Tangential Filtration flow system, for biological filtration
• A Viber Newton 7.0 Bioluminescence imager, which enables detection of light generated from lucieferase reporter activity in living mice. (Luciferin is a light-emitting compound found in organisms that produce bioluminescence).
• A Beckman Coulter Cytoflex flow cytometer, which has three lasers and can be used for detection of 13 different cell markers at once.

Further to the above, the university also procured spectrometers, antenna arrays, various health science research equipment, lasers, detectors, and other types of sensors.

“In many cases, we tried to work with the academics to improve their applications before the assessment process began,” says Dr Robin Drennan, Director of Research and Development in the Wits Research Office.

“While the Research Office would ideally like to fund all applications, the University has limited resources, and we must allocate funds strategically to maximize research impact.”

The director adds that the university is looking to develop a fund that will “help access large instrumentation in other countries that will simply never be affordable by one university”.

In addition, the University Research and Innovation Committee is introducing a more centralised instrument strategy to make equipment and instruments available to all academics and students.

US tensions fuel funding fears

Since President Donald Trump entered the White House in January, his administration has been cutting funding to foreign countries, including South Africa. This includes the gutting of initiatives such as USAID which fund humanitarian efforts around the world.

Aside from USAID, the States has also cut or stopped funding on “global scientific collaborations” as reported by the National Research Foundation.

“Given the interconnected nature of global science, funding constraints from a key partner such as the USA could also have ripple effects on multilateral collaborations, joint research initiatives, and co-funded programs designed to address critical challenges such as climate change, public health, and technological innovation. We will monitor these developments and assess their impact on NRF partnerships,” the NRF wrote earlier this month.

The foundation says that it remains committed to diversifying funding sources with international partners. This includes enhancing regional and continental collaboration through partnerships between African nations and the Global South. The goal here is to improve resilience in the event that a major funding partner rescinds its funding.

The good news is that academic institutions are also working the problem.

[Source – Wits University] [Image – Chokniti Khongchum from Pixabay]