Several dignitaries attended the inauguration and ribbon-cutting event of the Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI) based at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) faculty of medicine and health sciences on its Tygerberg Campus in Parow last week.
The event, which was followed by a gala dinner, was held on Wednesday 19 April.
The SU choir also performed four songs in the foyer of the new building, after which guests were allowed the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art facility. Among the number of guests were Buti Manamela, deputy minister of higher education, science and innovation, Prof Wim de Villiers, SU rector and vice-chancellor and Prof Stefan H E Kauffman from Berlin, Germany, who delivered the keynote address.
Background
Kauffman is the founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, and is now director emeritus both there and at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Gottingen, Germany.
He is an honorary and visiting professor at several universities across the world and former president of both the German Society for Immunology and the International Union of Immunological Societies.
Kauffman has more than 900 publications with more than 75 000 citations and is amongst the 0,01% most cited scientists of approximately seven million scientists in 22 major scientific fields globally, his bio reads.
In his speech Kauffman said the BMRI is a nucleus for equitable partnerships across the globe, a hub for training and capacitating next generations, a symbol for commitment to excellence, a source of inspiration and innovation and a contribution to better health.
The BMRI places Stellenbosch University at the forefront of biomedical sciences on the African continent, the university said in a statement recently.
The facility houses more than 500 biomedical researchers and students, including some of the world’s foremost scientists in the fields of bioinformatics, tuberculosis, neuroscience and urology.
The construction of the green building is said to have cost R1,2 billion.
