The 2025 Fogarty International Center Launching Future Leaders in Global Health (LAUNCH) Southern Africa Regional Scientific Workshop was held from March 31 to April 2, 2025 at the Monkey Valley Resort in Cape Town, South Africa. The workshop was hosted by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation and co-sponsored by the GloCal Health Fellowship Program and ACHIEVE. The workshop included 25 fellows and alumni from across all seven LAUNCH consortia plus 11 faculty.

The workshop aimed to create a forum for FIC LAUNCH trainees to share research, build community, and facilitate capacity building through training and networking opportunities. Over the three days, attendees engaged in a series of plenary sessions, hands-on workshops, and small group discussions focusing on health economics, community-based participatory research, and the transdisciplinary engagement of community holders in HIV prevention research. Key sessions included lectures on health economics for global health research, intervention costing and decision tree modelling, and building research capacity. The event also featured research progress updates from LAUNCH trainees, fostering peer learning and collaboration. Informal activities, such as a local hike to the beach and group dinners, provided additional networking opportunities in a relaxed setting. Participants praised the workshop for its intimate size, which facilitated closer engagement with mentors and peers, and emphasized the value of transdisciplinary research and hands-on learning. Overall, the workshop was seen as a comprehensive platform for professional growth, collaboration, and inspiration, equipping attendees with the knowledge and connections needed to advance their research and career goals.