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08 March 2018 Photo Johan Roux
UFS acquires 100 shares in clinical research organisation FARMOVS-PAREXEL
Representatives from the UFS and FARMOVS attended the contracting signing. From left are FARMOVS Managing Director, Mr Chris Sutherland, FARMOVS Associate Director, Mr HB Theron,UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, Dr Michelle Middle and Dr Glen Taylor.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has acquired 100% shares in PAREXEL’s Bloemfontein-based clinical research business, FARMOVS-PAREXEL, on 7 March 2018.

Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, and a team consisting of members from the university’s senior leadership group concluded a deal with PAREXEL International, the world’s innovator of biopharmaceutical research services, to acquire 100% shares in PAREXEL’s locally-based clinical research business, FARMOVS-PAREXEL.
 
Through the acquisition of FARMOVS, the UFS will own the largest Phase 1 clinical research business in South Africa.

FARMOVS conducts important clinical research for the global pharmaceutical industry that enables marketing of affordable generic drugs in South Africa and elsewhere in the world. FARMOVS also supports the development of important new medicines for a variety of diseases and illnesses.
 
During the signing of the sale agreement this week, Prof Petersen said that he greatly appreciates the spirit in which this deal was carried out. “FARMOVS is an excellent state-of-the-art clinical research facility. This is an exciting new venture for the university. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved, and am especially thankful to the FARMOVS management team for their cooperation as well as taking the FARMOVS staff through the process with enthusiasm,” he said.
 
FARMOVS is located on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. It consists of 148 full-time employees, who are highly skilled and experienced, as is the management team who will remain intact under the leadership of Managing Director, Mr Chris Sutherland. 

It is Prof Petersen’s vision that the UFS will become actively involved in the South African National Clinical Research Capacity Building Initiative with FARMOVS becoming a Clinical Research Centre of Excellence. “This is something new for the UFS, the challenge now is to expand with more of an industry impact,” said Prof Petersen. 
The business will be known as FARMOVS from now on. 

More about FARMOVS:
FARMOVS (Pty) Ltd, (formerly known as FARMOVS-PAREXEL Pty Ltd) is a clinical research company located on the campus of the UFS. It was established in 1974 by the Department of Pharmacology. In 2000, the UFS sold 70% shares to PAREXEL International, a global clinical  research organisation. Under PAREXEL’s ownership and investment, FARMOVS developed into a world-class clinical research facility which is on par with the best in the world. Today, FARMOVS has conducted >3 000 clinical studies. It has the only Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) accredited bioanalytical laboratory in South Africa, and is the largest Phase 1 clinical research company in the country. While continuing its focus on the testing of generic drugs, going forward FARMOVS will support clinical research in different patient populations in partnership with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the UFS.  



 

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News Archive

Community engagement must be a core function of universities
2009-05-21

 
 Members of the NatCEMF Steering Committee are, from the left: Mr Jerome Slamat, Senior Director: Community Interaction, Stellenbosch University, Ms Beatrix Bouwman, Manager: Community Engagement, North-West University, Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service, UFS and chairperson of the committee, Prof. Allan Femi Lana, Director: Institute for Rural Development and Community Engagement, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Prof. Seth Pollack, Fulbright Scholar, University of Western Cape (guest speaker at the meeting), Prof. Denver Hendricks, Director: Community Engagement, University of Pretoria, and Prof. Priscilla Daniels, Chairperson: Human Ecology and Research and CHESP Research Coordinator, University of the Western Cape.
Photo: Lacea Loader
 It is important that all tertiary institutions in South Africa should work together and commit themselves to advance the cause of community engagement in the country.

This was one of the main outcomes of the second meeting held by the National Community Engagement Manager’s Forum (NatCEMF) at the South Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein recently. The meeting was attended by 34 representatives of 16 higher education institutions in the country.

“I am astounded at the interest in this matter. The representatives are committed to make community engagement a core function of their institutions and we all agreed that we should get more involved in expanding this across all institutions. A need for a formal structure for us all to work together and have a more collective voice was also identified,” said Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS and Chairperson of the NatCEMF Steering Committee.

“There is a growing need to expand and develop our engagement with communities – to share our experiences and best practices and to learn from each other. There are universities that are doing excellent work in this field and, by having a formal structure, we can do a lot more towards advancing community engagement,” said Rev Jaftha.

The meeting identified matters such as the coordination of higher education institutions’ involvement in community engagement, the facilitation of research about community engagement, promoting service learning as transformation, the establishment of a community engagement resource centre and the organisation of a national community engagement conference as some of its aims. A national steering committee was also elected.

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