LONDON (Alliance News) - GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday it has entered into a GBP5 million collaboration with the UK and South African Medical Research Councils to support research into non-communicable diseases in Africa.
The collaboration is part of Glaxo's Africa Non-Communicable Disease Open Lab initiative.
The funding was pledged by the UK Foreign Office Minister responsible for Africa, James Duddridge, and South Africa's Minister for Science and Technology Naledi Pandor.
Glaxo will provide GBP1 million to the collaboration and will commit internal research and development expertise. GBP2.5 million will be provided by the UK MRC via the UK Newton Fund, and around GBP1.5 million from the South African Medical Research Council.
Alongside this funding, Glaxo will commit a further GBP4 million to support successful proposals for non-communicable disease research from countries in sub-Saharan Africa. An official call for proposals will be launched later in 2014 and begin in the second quarter of 2015.
"The funding announced today is a great endorsement of GSK?s open research philosophy, and signifies growing agreement among the scientific community that collaboration is key to defeating some of the world?s biggest health problems," said Glaxo President of Pharmaceutical Research and Development Patrick Vallance in a statement.
"We believe that by providing support to African institutions as they carry out their own research in to the chronic disease variants that most affect the African people, the NCD Open Lab will play a key role in helping to tackle disease in this area," Vallance added.
Shares in Glaxo were trading flat at 1,432.50 pence Tuesday afternoon.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; hanassmith@alliancenews.com; @HanaSSAllNews
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