ICGEB SAWBP Fellows complete international mobility at ICGEB Trieste
The interaction and mobility of South African women biotechnology researchers and the ICGEB community remain a defining feature of the South African Women in Biotechnology Programme (SAWBP). Currently, SAWBP Fellows from the Cape Town Component, Dr Rumbidzai Changwa and Ms Chiara Foret are undertaking their 6-month mobility at the ICGEB Trieste Component in Italy.
Launched in 2022, the ICGEB SAWBP in partnership with the South African Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and the South African National Research Foundation supports Doctoral and Postdoctoral South African women scientists to carry out research in the state-of-the-art labs at ICGEB Cape Town. This ‘proudly South African programme’ has already facilitated the mobility of two Fellows, with the additional two currently being undertaken.
During their mobility period at ICGEB Trieste, Rumbidzai and Chiara aim to enhance their fellowships by continuing to focus on their areas of research. Postdoctoral fellow, Rumbidzai, focusing on biopesticide technologies is currently hosted within the Technology Transfer, Cooperation and Innovation Unit in Trieste. Her work is centred upon advancing bio-input technologies through the application of FAIR data principles to strengthen bio-input data governance across African markets. The SAWBP mobility is directly feeding into both a critical review paper and a Horizon Europe grant application, which she is developing together with colleagues in Trieste and across African and European partner institutions. The initiative aims to build an interoperable data infrastructure for bio-input across Africa.
“I remain humbled by the opportunities this mobility has given me to bridge the work I do in Cape Town with the innovation and technology transfer perspective here in Trieste. Being an SAWBP fellow has been instrumental in enabling this exchange; it has allowed me to think beyond product development science, towards how good science actually translates into usable, trustworthy data systems that agricultural systems can rely on.” Dr Rumbidzai Changwa, Biopesticides Group, ICGEB Cape Town
Doctoral fellow, Chiara Foret will continue her research on primary cells that were derived from the tumour tissue of South African Wilms Tumour patients. Under the supervision of Dr Sorrentino in the Advanced Disease Models laboratory, these cells will be used to establish organoids – complex 3D cellular structures that are designed to replicate the natural structure, function, and behaviour of the tissues from which they were cultured. These organoids will be used to better understand Wilms tumour biology in African-descent children, study the effects of clinically relevant population-specific genetic variants, and screen for more effective chemotherapeutics in treatment.
“As a woman in biotechnology, it is so empowering to be part of a fellowship that represents progress and possibility in the Global South. The SAWBP mobility programme has placed the world at my feet, and I am excited to explore and learn everything Trieste has to offer with the support of the ICGEB. It is more than a research opportunity — it has opened doors to advanced facilities, allowed connection with brilliant people from all over the world, and has challenged me to grow both personally and professionally as I navigate a new country and scientific environment. I am truly grateful to have been awarded such an incredible experience.” Ms Chiara Foret, Cancer Genomics Group, ICGEB Cape Town
ICGEB remains committed to promoting gender equality. Initiatives such as the SAWBP reflect ICGEB’s dedication to empowering women and fostering a gender balanced scientific community. Strengthening gender representation in the life sciences remains a key focus area for the organisation, with the latest brochure of the Interagency Task Team of the United Nations that works on Gender and Science, Technology and Innovation featuring the ICGEB and highlighting the SAWBP.
Further reading about the SAWBP
