GRANTS + FUNDING
THE DISCOVERY FOUNDATION AWARDS
the discovery foundation awards
The Discovery Foundation is an independent trust with a clear focus to strengthen the healthcare system by ensuring that more people have access to specialised healthcare services. Over the first decade since its inception, the Discovery Foundation has invested over R189 million in grants to support academic medicine through research, development and the training of medical specialists in South Africa. Its aim is to invest R300 million towards specialised healthcare services over 20 years.
discovery foundation awards
Black economic empowerment (BEE) mandate
Discovery Limited established the Discovery Foundation in 2006 as an independent trust aimed at strengthening the healthcare system. While the Discovery Foundation’s aim is to give more South Africans access to specialised healthcare services in places where it is needed most, it also has an obligation to promote transformation in this area. In other words, to meet the BEE legislative requirements for socio-economic development. The Discovery Foundation will ensure that, wherever possible and across all grants together, at least 75% of its beneficiaries are black people or that at least 75% of its total financial support goes to black people to further their studies or to benefit from the undertaking of certain socio-economic development activities.
The trustees of the Discovery Foundation
Dr Vincent Maphai
CHAIRPERSON OF THE DISCOVERY FOUNDATION
Dr Vincent Maphai was the executive director of corporate affairs and transformation at SAB. He was also the chairperson of BHP Billiton SA and, before this, corporate affairs director of SAB and non-executive chair of Castle Brewing Namibia. In an academic career spanning two decades, he taught at various universities both locally and overseas and consulted with several blue-chip companies on many HR issues. He was also a research executive director of social dynamics at the HSRC for three years. He has served on the boards of various companies as non-executive chair, and he has chaired the SABC, the Presidential Review Commission into the restructuring of the Public Sector, and the South African Responsible Gambling Trust.
Bernadette Moffat
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ELMA PHILANTHROPIES AFRICA (PTY) LTD
Bernadette Moffat is Executive Director of the ELMA Philanthropies Services (Africa)(Pty) Ltd, based in Cape Town, South Africa. In this role Bernadette oversees the philanthropic work of the ELMA Group of Foundations in 10 countries in southern Africa. She also serves on the Boards of the ELMA Philanthropies Services (US) Inc., and the ELMA South Africa Foundation.
She also serves as a Trustee of the Discovery Foundation which supports the education and training of medical specialists in South Africa. Prior to joining ELMA in 2006, Bernadette was chief executive officer of the Women’s Development Bank Trust, an organization that promotes the participation of women at all levels of the economy through investing in leading South African companies, providing microcredit to poor rural women, supporting the growth of small and medium women-owned businesses and supporting the appointment of women to executive and board roles in major South African companies. She has served as nonexecutive director of the Bidvest Group Limited and Advantage Asset Managers (Pty) Ltd.
Bernadette has international experience as an entrepreneur and corporate lawyer. Previously Bernadette served as a consultant to the Commission on Gender Equality advising them on issues of women’s economic empowerment. The Commission published her work The Working Woman’s Manual a volume on women and labor law in South Africa (1996). Honored by France with the Ordre de Merité in 2007, she holds a magna cum laude BA degree from Wellesley College in the United States and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University also in the United States.
Dr Maurice Goodman
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AT DISCOVERY HEALTH
Dr Maurice Goodman joined Discovery in 1998 and is currently responsible for the health profession strategy area at Discovery Health. As such, he is responsible for all aspects of Discovery’s interface with medical and dental specialists, GPs and other healthcare professionals. After obtaining a medical degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, Dr Goodman worked for several years in emergency medicine and trauma surgery. After completing an MBA, he headed up the Southern Africa healthcare practice of a leading international consulting organisation before moving into the healthcare funding industry. After a two-year spell as a divisional director of a major healthcare funder, Dr Goodman joined Discovery. He also represents the Wits Postgraduate School of Business on the convocation executive committee at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Dr Jonathan Broomberg
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT DISCOVERY HEALTH
Dr Jonathan Broomberg is a medical doctor and health economist, and is CEO of Discovery Health. He has spent most of his professional career working in health economics and finance, both in the public and private sectors. In 1994, he co-chaired the committee of inquiry appointed by the Minister of Health to propose reforms to the funding and delivery of healthcare in South Africa. In 2005 and 2006, Jonathan was appointed by the South African government’s ministerial task team on social health insurance to coordinate a consultative investigation into low-income medical schemes. Jonathan is also active in international public health. He served as a member of the technical review panel of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for five years, including two years as chairperson. In 2010 he served as a board member of the Alliance for Health Systems and Policy Research, which is based at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. He is also a director of the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication.
Prof Marian Jacobs
DISCOVERY FOUNDATION TRUSTEE AND ADVISOR
Prof Marian Jacobs is an Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Cape Town (UCT). After obtaining her medical, paediatrics and public health degrees, Prof Jacobs, who is passionate about children, has worked as a public health paediatrician and held several academic posts at UCT as lecturer, associate professor, professor and Dean (2006-2012). She has played a critical role in highlighting the importance of child health as the founding director of the Child Health Policy Institute and the Children’s Health Institute. Prof Jacobs has been published widely in her field and has held several leadership positions in governance of national institutions, including the Medical Research Council and the Health Systems Trust in South Africa. Internationally, she has chaired the Boards of the Centre for Health Research in Bangladesh, Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) in Geneva and Population and Health Research Center in Kenya. She continues to advise the World Health Organisation, Save the Children and Doris Duke’s African Health Initiative. A leader in the field of child health, Prof Jacobs currently serves AERAS and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in the US, and KhethImpilo in South Africa.
DISCOVERY FOUNDATION
GRANTS + FUNDING
The Discovery Foundation
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL AWARD
Given the importance of cultivating teaching excellence and clinical research in South Africa the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Award is aimed at boosting South Africa, as a leading hub internationally for clinical research and science.
The Discovery Foundation
ACADEMIC FELLOWSHIP AWARDS
The recipients will receive funding for postgraduate research or for use as a salary. The recipients will have the opportunity to take on a period of full-time study and research towards Masters or Doctoral degrees.
The Discovery Foundation
SUB-SPECIALIST AWARDS
This award aims to improve medical skills by boosting Sub-specialist training and Academic Medicine in South Africa. The awards also aim to contribute towards the research output of departments that receive funding.
The Discovery Foundation
RURAL FELLOWSHIP AWARDS
Discovery Foundation Awards for healthcare in rural and underserved areas aims to attract and retain medical doctors in rural areas by facilitating access to resources and opportunities to develop professionally.
The Discovery Foundation
EXCELLENCE AWARD
This award aims to boost healthcare resources by recognising an organisation that shows excellence in education, service delivery, training and innovation over the long term.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
FOR APPLICANTS
Application forms have to be completed correctly and in full. Once an application has been submitted to the Discovery Foundation, it will be considered final.
No applications will be accepted after the stipulated closing date.
Applicants are required to provide all the relevant documents from their academic institutions with their application form.
Applicants must be South African citizens or have permanent residency.
Preference will be given to applicants in the scope of BEE.
Emphasis will also be given to areas where there’s the greatest need for clinical and medical research.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
FOR institutions
Institutions are requested to publicise the awards internally and to encourage the best applicants to apply.
Individual faculties may send applications for fellowship posts in different disciplines.
The number of applications from any one institution is unlimited.
Applications must be accompanied by letters of support from the relevant host institution.
The letter of support should preferably be from the Dean and should also outline the number of applications from the institution.
Preference will be given to partnerships between medical schools, where trainees will acquire skills at an established unit and be transferred to their home institution at the end of the training period.
Although the number of applications from any one institution is unlimited, institutions are encouraged to align the requests for support to the needs of academic medicine and the health system.