As emerging and re-emerging viruses continue to shape global public health, the ability to rapidly detect and characterise pathogens has become increasingly important, particularly in regions where surveillance resources remain unevenly distributed. Earlier this month, scientists, laboratory professionals, and public health researchers from across Africa gathered at the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University for an intensive hands-on workshop focused on one of the field’s most advanced viral sequencing approaches: VirCapSeq-VERT.
A connection made at SWEAT Africa 2026 led to a role at Nanosene within weeks, offering a clear example of how the event creates the conditions for real opportunities to emerge.
Selected from more than 900 international applicants as one of only 10 young innovators invited to the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation Forum in New York, African STARS fellow Kennedy Mulungu is emerging as part of a new generation of African scientists and entrepreneurs building globally competitive innovation from the continent.
Prof Tulio de Oliveira, Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University and founder and director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, has been awarded the Order of Mapungubwe in Gold by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in recognition of more than two decades of work building South Africa's capacity to detect, track, and respond to infectious disease threats.
As climate and environmental change continue to reshape ecosystems across the world, scientists are warning that mosquito-borne diseases may spread into new regions, become more frequent, and intensify in areas already under pressure. A major new international research grant awarded to Dr Monika Moir at the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) will place Africa at the centre of efforts to better understand one of these moving threats: West Nile virus.
CERI’s engagement in Brazil highlights a growing commitment to advancing genomic surveillance in high-burden settings. Through training, collaboration, and new national networks, this work is translating genomics into real public health impact.
Shaping the future of scientific discovery in South Africa.
A new cohort of African fellows is turning epidemiological data into practical decisions – from vaccination strategy to outbreak risk –working directly with policymakers in their own countries. At a time of uncertain funding and rising pressure on health systems, the SACEMA Policy Modelling Fellowship shows how locally driven, data-led insight can protect and strengthen public health across the continent.
Two new publications by Prof Jo-Ann Passmore reveal a critical gap between scientific knowledge and women’s lived realities – where silence, stigma and power dynamics limit the impact of even the best research. By calling for ethical, community-driven design, the work points to a future where science is not only rigorous, but truly usable in women’s everyday lives.
Marième Samb Traoré on innovation, access, and real-world impact.
Engaged research is reshaping how global health challenges are understood and addressed by bringing communities into every stage of the process. At CERI, this approach is helping to build more grounded, context-driven solutions for climate and infectious disease risks in vulnerable settings.
Collaboration and continuous learning are at the heart of advancing genomics in Africa – and the return of Dr Armando Djiyou to KRISP reflects just that.
