Programme National COVID-19 Conference 31 July 2020

Harnessing science, technology and innovation in response to COVID-19: A national and international effort

09:00 Opening session

Session Director: Dr Phil Mjwara, Director-General: Science and Innovation

·President of , His Excellency, ·Dr Zweli Mkhize, Minister of Health ·Dr , Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation ·Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology ·Dr Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation

10:15 Panel discussion on health research

Moderator: Dr Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences

The panel will discuss health innovation in support of COVID-19 (therapeutics, diagnostics, testing and tracking). It will consider the research experiences and research collaboration in managing COVID-19, including possible next steps in research collaboration on COVID-19 and pandemics in general.

·Prof. Tulio de Oliveira, Director: KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform ·Prof. Glenda Gray, CEO of the South African Medical Research Council ·Prof. Helen Rees, Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute ·Dr Michael Makanga, Executive Director of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership ·Dr Lawrence Banks, Director-General: International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology 11:25 Panel discussion on data modeling and analysis

Moderator: Prof. Salim Karim, Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa

The panel will discuss the role of data modeling and analysis in managing COVID-19 and its social impact.

·Prof. Sarah Mosoetsa, CEO of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences ·Mr Risenga Maluleke, Statistician-General and Head of Statistics South Africa ·Dr Priscilla Reddy, Deputy Executive Director: Human and Social Capabilities at the Human Sciences Research Council ·Dr Kobus Herbst, Director: South African Population Research Infrastructure Network ·Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, Executive Manager: NextGen Enterprises and Institutions Cluster at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research ·Mr Murat Sonmez, Head of the World Economic Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution)

12:30 Panel discussion on the economy and social recovery

Moderator Prof. Derrick Swartz, Nelson Mandela University

·Mr , Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition ·Mr Daniel Ndima, CEO of Cape Biotech ·Mr Lumkile Mondi, Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics and Business Science of the University of the Witwatersrand ·Prof . Motlalepule Matsabisa , UFS ·Dr Leila Fourie, Group CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange ·Ms Maria-Cristina Russo, Head of the EC's international cooperation portfolio for research and innovation