M Mangena on bid for University of Cape Town to host third ICGEB
component

23 May 2006

Cape Town – South Africa’s Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi
Mangena, has today publicly announced that the University of Cape Town (UCT)
Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IIDMM) would be South
Africa’s candidate institution to host the third component centre, a major
international laboratory of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology (ICGEB).

The government of South Africa, through its Department of Science and
Technology, will submit its bid proposal for the establishment of the third
ICGEB component on 31 May 2006. There are currently only two ICGEB components
in the world in laboratories in Trieste, Italy and New Delhi, India. If
successful, South Africa’s bid will see the establishment of the first
component centre in Africa.

Following a tour of IIDMM facilities this morning, Minister Mangena said,
“The opportunity to host one of three major international laboratories of the
ICGEB is very attractive for us.” The Minister added that, “we will use this
new international biotechnology hub that will be the African Component Centre
of the ICGEB to address among others the disease burden of the developing
world; the agricultural challenges of poor yields, producing in difficult
climatic conditions and enhancing our post harvest capacities; as well as the
use of biotechnology to further develop our manufacturing and industrial
sectors toward the enhancement of the quality of life of all our people.”

On funding the initiative, Minister Mangena said that “The Department of
Science and Technology (DST) will contribute financially toward the
establishment of the ICGEB third component. We plan to dedicate direct funds in
the order of R22 million over the next three years in support of the
establishment of the third ICGEB Component in South Africa.”

Established in 1987 by the United Nations Industrial Development
Organisation (UNIDO), the ICGEB is an inter-governmental organisation that
operates in close contact with the UN common system as a centre of excellence
for research and training in biotechnology and genetic engineering with special
attention to the needs of the developing world.

The ICGEB places major emphasis on health related research activities as
well as on projects aimed at the sustainable application of biotechnology in
agriculture. The main focus for health biotechnology is currently on HIV/AIDS,
hepatitis, rotavirus, human papilloma virus, malaria, tuberculosis and more
recently, dengue. ICGEBs research aimed at determining the mechanisms related
to the infection and the insurgence of diseases at the molecular level is
presently leading to important breakthroughs in the understanding of these
diseases and possibly to the identification of diagnostics and specific drugs
if not vaccines.

In addition to providing a unique environment for research and training of
African scientists on issues having a direct impact to the well-being of the
African population, this third ICGEB component will contribute to the global
effort aimed at the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and
more specifically:

* to have by year 2015 halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS,
malaria and other diseases

* to encourage pharmaceutical companies to make essential drugs more widely
available and affordable.

The South African bid is seen by other African and European Union (EU)
states not only as a bid for South Africa, but as an African bid. South
Africa’s bid has the support of many African countries. The concept of the
location of the third component centre in Africa has the support of many
European countries and the G8 as indicated in the Gleneagles Summit
Declaration.

Two other African bids for the third component are from the United Republic
of Tanzania and from Nigeria.

Potential benefits to accrue to the country should South Africa win the bid
include, amongst others:

* human capital development
* state of the art research facilities in the field of biotechnology
* facilitation of collaboration with international scientists
* an opportunity for innovative solutions for some of the continent’s health
and agricultural challenges.

Hosting the third ICGEB component will boost South Africa’s profile as the
preferred destination for global science and technology initiatives. It will in
fact assist in making South Africa a major international biotechnology hub. It
will also strengthen the country’s role in driving Africa’s development not
only from a political and economic perspective but also in terms of innovation
and technology.

For media enquiries contact:
Kristin Klose
Manager: Communication
Cell: 082 902 9503
E-mail: kristin.klose@dst.gov.za

Nelvis Qekema
Ministerial Liaison
Cell: 082 571 2571
E-mail: Nelvis.qekema@dst.gov.za

Issued by: Ministry of Science and Technology
23 May 2006