FuturePHARMA Facility
A national research facility to close the science gap for locally made pharmaceuticals.
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Highlights
New national research facility to close science gap for locally made pharmaceuticals
Africa will not be last in line when the next global pandemic hits, CSIR scientists told President Cyril Ramaphosa at the official opening of the new FuturePHARMA national research facility, which took place in Pretoria on 7 October 2026. Read more.
CSIR FuturePHARMA links drug discovery with safe, local manufacture
FuturePHARMA's doors are open to universities and small businesses looking to turn their pharmaceutical product concepts into clinical grade material that are ready for testing. The facility forms part of the CSIR’s industrial strategy to convert South African science into pharmaceutical products, industrial capability and health security. Its laboratories are geared to localise any biological or chemical process to produce medicines like vaccines, anaesthetics, painkillers, antivirals against infectious diseases, as well as treatments for chronic illnesses like tuberculosis, HIV/Aids and diabetes. This will ensure Africa’s health sovereignty for future pandemics or health crisis. Watch.
Resources
Africa’s first open-access hub for advanced API manufacturing
The CSIR has established Africa’s first multi-modal, open-access active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing hub, capable of producing vaccines, biopharmaceuticals and small-molecule APIs. Read the brochure.
FuturePHARMA Small Molecule Facility
The FuturePHARMA Small Molecule Facility at the CSIR is a national pilot-scale facility dedicated to developing and producing small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients, which are the chemically synthesised compounds that provide the therapeutic effect in most medicines.
Investigational Vaccines and Biologics Facility
The FuturePHARMA Investigational Vaccines and Biologics Facility at the CSIR is a development and manufacturing facility designed to bridge the gap between laboratory research and early clinical evaluation. As part of the CSIR’s broader FuturePharma initiative, the facility brings together process development, analytical testing, quality systems and small-scale production capabilities to help promising vaccine and biologic candidates progress towards the production of investigational clinical material.