Our History

The Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI) was founded in 1995 and registered in Zimbabwe as a non-profit making company. Uniquely in Africa, BRTI was established as a totally independent institution with no direct funding from any governmental or non-governmental agency, enabling sole responsibility for setting policies and agendas compatible with its mission.

The institute was co-founded by Professor Peter Mason, who served as its long-time Director-General until his retirement. From its inception, BRTI was designed as a sustainable project administered directly by scientists and managers working principally within Southern Africa.

Over the past three decades, BRTI has been responsible for the conduct of more than 80 internationally funded research studies. These studies have received funding from the Wellcome Trust, the European Community, EDCTP, NIH, CDC, the Kellogg Foundation, UK DFID, WHO, UNAIDS, UNICEF, the Global Fund, and many other partners.

Today, BRTI operates five major divisions — Administration, Finance, Research and Training, Laboratory, and Projects — and collaborates with the University of Zimbabwe, Stanford University, Africa University, and the Ministry of Health and Child Care on research, training, and service delivery programmes across Zimbabwe.