Our Departments
As a non-profit making private institution, we operate as an independent organization with its own structure & philosophy as determined by a Board of Directors drawn from the scientific, business & philanthropic communities of Zimbabwe. There are 5 major divisions within BRTI namely Administration, Finance, Research & Training, Laboratory & Projects.
Research
BRTI research activities
The research activities of BRTI are intended to be broad and encompass health problems (in both medical and veterinary fields) that are recognized as priority areas for research in the region. All kinds of research may receive BRTI support, provided that research activities adhere to national and international ethical principles, are relevant to health problems of the region and provide opportunities for local capacity building at individual, institutional and national levels.
Training
Universities and colleges
The BRTI does not provide academic courses – this is the function of universities and colleges in the region. However, the BRTI does commit to assisting scientists in Zimbabwe and the region to acquire skills to enable them to compete effectively in the international scientific community. To achieve this goal, the BRTI has since its founding been responsible for the design and delivery of appropriate training courses to develop research capacity in specific areas.
Ethics
Ethics Research Unit Zimbabwe
The Ethics Research Unit Zimbabwe has a long history of conducting health research studies most of which are in collaboration with institutions in the sub-region, Europe and North America. The increasing collaboration in health research between industrialized and developing countries continues to cause concern regarding the potential for exploitation of human subjects in developing countries, especially in view of the ongoing need for clinical trials for anti-retroviral therapies and the treatment of opportunistic infections in resource limited settings.
ISO
International Standardisation Organisation
ISO is the acronym for International Standardisation Organisation. So many laboratories struggle to produce quality results for patient management particularly as a result of lack of a robust quality management system. Through the visionary efforts of Dr Junior Mutsvangwa, Senior Research Scientist, with support of the late legendary BRTI Director General, Prof. Peter Mason, and the subsequent drive by the vibrant Quality Systems Manager (QSM)/Senior Scientist, Dr Agness Farai Nhidza-Manjoro, BRTI was granted accreditation to ISO15189 effective 30 March 2015 through the joint partnership of SADCAS and SANAS, Accreditation number- MED009. Dr Manjoro is currently heading the BRTI ISO department and is also the SADCAS focal person.
Administration, Finance & ICT
The administration of research grants on behalf of local and international scientists. This includes, for example, taking responsibility for payments of salaries, income tax, medical insurance, pensions etc. of staff employed through a project. Office space is made available to projects administered through BRTI. The BRTI ensures prompt payment for equipment, reagents and supplies and arranges insurance cover. For this service, the BRTI normally charges an overhead of 10% of research costs, though this may be adjusted with the permission of the Management Board.
Future Prospects
For more than 20 years, BRTI has grown remarkably during that time from an institute with a single room office and a staff of just 3 into an organization that manages several million US$ in funding each year, and has a total staff complement of over 150. The strengths of BRTI include the dedication & division of its Management Board & the commitment, professionalism and motivation of staff in both core activities and in projects and programmes. At its inception the BRTI was dedicated to improving the health of people in southern Africa through support for national and regional scientific endeavours. We believe the best way we can do this is to continue to contribute to research that can provide the evidence needed to implement effective health policy and planning. We value highly the role of national, regional and international partners in achieving our goal and look forward to maintaining existing links and to establishing new ones.
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