BioFISA II has been prepared as a programme to support the implementation of the key strategic objectives of the ABI strategy, guided by the SANBio Business Plan. BioFISA II will therefore aim to support specific aspects of the SANBio Business Plan.

Since 2009, the BioFISA partnership between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in South Africa and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) has supported the Finnish - Southern African Partnership programme to strengthen the NEPAD/SANBio Network. The first phase of the BioFISA programme was launched in the beginning of 2009 and lasted until the end of September 2012. The second phase, BioFISA II, is a four year programme from 2015 to 2019 with a total budget of EUR 7.82 million, contributed from Finland, South Africa and participating member states.