Abstract:
Bioinformatics is now a critical skill in many research and commercial environments as biological
data are increasing in both size and complexity. South African researchers recognized
this need in the mid-1990s and responded by working with the government as well as
international bodies to develop initiatives to build bioinformatics capacity in the country. Significant
injections of support from these bodies provided a springboard for the establishment
of computational biology units at multiple universities throughout the country, which took on
teaching, basic research and support roles. Several challenges were encountered, for
example with unreliability of funding, lack of skills, and lack of infrastructure. However, the
bioinformatics community worked together to overcome these, and South Africa is now
arguably the leading country in bioinformatics on the African continent. Here we discuss
how the discipline developed in the country, highlighting the challenges, successes, and
lessons learnt.
