The MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit is an internationally recognized center of excellence for research and training. The unit was established in 1988 to improve the understanding and control of the HIV epidemic in Uganda and globally, following a request from the Uganda Government to the UK Government. After wide consultations, and in response to the changing public health landscape, unit work has broadened to include non-communicable diseases and other infections. In 2018, the unit was transferred to LSHTM, a major UK global health institution. This new partnership is boosting research capacity into current and emerging health issues in Africa and globally.

MRC/UVRI is committed to delivering impactful collaborative research and capacity building through strategic partnerships with the Uganda Government, national, regional and international research and academic institutions, as well as communities. The unit’s longstanding partnership with the Uganda Ministry of Health ensures that their research is well positioned to contribute to policy discussions at the national level. MRC/UVRI also provides shared equipment and training in molecular biology techniques to scientists at the Ministry of Health, which continues to build national research capacity, and has been pivotal in facilitating the national response to emerging health epidemics and pandemics.