A network of independent, interconnected research centers across Africa plays a pivotal role in sustainable vaccine discovery and development
Over the past two decades, IAVI has formed partnerships with local African research institutions to plan and execute vaccine trials. These centers of excellence, located across fourteen African countries (Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, Zimbabwe), have been instrumental in IAVI and partners’ vaccine development efforts. They have evaluated vaccine candidates and conducted epidemiological studies in HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) prevention research, which provide essential data for vaccine design and shape the direction of future efficacy trials.
The partner clinical research centers (CRCs) in East and Southern Africa were pioneers in conducting Phase 1 HIV vaccine clinical trials in Africa, adhering to the highest international standards. This was made possible with the support of the United States Agency for International Development through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This network has expanded to over 40 diverse research partners on the continent now conducting clinical trials of vaccine candidates to prevent TB and targeted EIDs. To date, IAVI, working with this network, has supported 40+ Phase 1-2b vaccine trials for HIV, TB and EIDs, and over 50 epidemiological studies to describe disease burden and inform trial design.
At a glance
clinical research center partners
vaccine trials
epidemiological studies
years of collaboration with IAVI
Africa CRC locations
Our CRC partners are led by highly skilled principal investigators with expertise in guiding clinical trials
The CRC partners encompass a wide array of talent, from seasoned principal investigators to early- and mid-career research scientists, including laboratory technologists, clinical trial managers, scientists pursuing post-doctoral studies, medical professionals, senior scientists, and post-docs. This diversity spans both basic and translational research.
The CRC partners have adopted a unique approach to community engagement, working with priority populations. This engagement ensures community support for vaccine research and development, accelerates trial enrollment, maintains high participant retention rates, and simultaneously provides at-risk populations with linkage to vital services.
| Country | City | Institution | Research/ Study Area | |
| 1 | Gabon | Lambarene | CERMEL | TB |
| 2 | Ghana | Accra | Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR) | Lassa Fever |
| 3 | Kenya | Kisumu/SIaya | Victoria Biomedical Research Institute (VIBRI) | TB |
| 4 | Kenya | Nairobi | KEMRI Vaccine Research Center | HIV |
| 5 | Kenya | Nairobi | Kenya Medical Research Institute – HIVR | TB |
| 6 | Kenya | Nairobi | KEMRI/CDC | HIV |
| 7 | Kenya | Kilifi | KEMRI/Wellcome Trust | HIV |
| 8 | Kenya | Mombasa | Centre for Geographic Medicine Research – Coast | TB |
| 9 | Kenya | Nairobi | Population Council-Kenya | HIV |
| 10 | Kenya | Kisumu | Victoria Biomedical Research Institute (VIBRI) | TB |
| 11 | Kenya | Nairobi | KEMRI-CRDR | HIV |
| 12 | Liberia | Monrovia | National Public Health Institute (NPHIL), JFK and JFK Hospital | Lassa Fever |
| 13 | Liberia | Monrovia | Phebe Hospital (UoL/PREVAIL) | Lassa Fever |
| 14 | Liberia | Monrovia | PREVAIL | Lassa Fever |
| 15 | Liberia | Monrovia | PREVAIL, RH and JFK Hospital | Lassa Fever |
| 16 | Mozambique | Manhica | CISM | TB |
| 17 | Nigeria | Irrua | Irrua Specialist Teaching Hosp (ISTH) | Lassa Fever |
| 18 | Nigeria | Kano | Bayero University | Snakebite |
| 19 | Nigeria | Abuja | WRP-N (Walter Reed Program – Nigeria) aka HJFMRI | Lassa Fever |
| 20 | Nigeria | Owu | Federal Medical Center (FMC) | Lassa Fever |
| 21 | Nigeria | Abakaliki | AE Federal Univ Teaching Hosp (AEFUTHA) | Lassa Fever |
| 22 | Nigeria | Nsukka | University of Nigeria | Lassa Fever |
| 23 | Rwanda | Kigali | Projet San Francisco | HIV |
| 24 | Senegal | Dakar | The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire le Dantec | TB |
| 25 | Sierra Leone | Kenema | Kenema Government Hospital | Lassa Fever |
| 26 | South Africa | Rustenburg | Aurum Institute | TB |
| 27 | South Africa | Durban | HIV Pathogenesis Programme – HPP | HIV |
| 28 | South Africa | Durban | South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) | HIV |
| 29 | South Africa | Cape Town | Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu (FAMCRU) | TB & HIV |
| 30 | South Africa | Johannesburg | The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) | HIV |
| 31 | South Africa | Pretoria | Medunsa Clinical Research Unit (MeCRU) | TB |
| 32 | South Africa | Cape Town | Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University | HIV |
| 33 | South Africa | Durban | AHRI-Somkhele | HIV |
| 34 | South Africa | Durban, KwaZulu Natal | South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) | HIV |
| 35 | Tanzania | Mwanza | National Institute for Medical Research | TB |
| 36 | Tanzania | Mbeya | NIMR – Mbeya Research Centre | TB |
| 37 | Tanzania | Dar es Salaam | Ifakara Health Institute | TB |
| 38 | Uganda | Kampala | Makerere University | TB |
| 39 | Uganda | Entebbe | MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Research Unit (Entebbe) | HIV & Ebola Sudan |
| 40 | Uganda | Masaka | MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Research Unit (Masaka) | HIV & Ebola Sudan |
| 41 | Zambia | Ndola | Zambia Emory HIV Research Project | HIV |
| 42 | Zambia | Lusaka | Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia | HIV & TB |
| 43 | Zimbabwe | Harare | Mutala Trust | HIV |
Learn more about some of the CRC partners and their work
Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute Uganda/London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit on AIDS (MRC/UVRI/LSHTM)
Entebbe (HQ), Masaka, Kampala, Uganda
Learn more
