We offer a personal example of the benefits of lending African scientists 'a helping hand' (Nature 474, 542; 2011). After a five-year relationship, a genomics network partnership was last year officially set up between the J. Craig Venter Institute in San Diego, California, and the University of Limpopo, one of the least resourced universities in South Africa.

The University of Limpopo, with campuses in Polokwane and Pretoria, is the result of a merger between South Africa's University of the North and the Medical University of Southern Africa — previously 'non-white' higher-education facilities as defined by the apartheid policies.

The university is striving to build regional resources and a skill base in genomics to help find scientific solutions for rural Africa. International partnerships, such as the one between our institutions, gives the University of Limpopo's researchers access to current technologies, informatic expertise and training that is unavailable locally.

Together we are seeking practical solutions through educational workshops, student and staff exchanges, improvements in capacity and infrastructure, and equal-contribution projects, while tackling the inevitable challenges as a single unit.

Our experience suggests that 'joining hands' could ultimately prove to be a successful strategy.