The Linux terminal for health researchers in a hurry
Find a file, read a dataset, and run a script on a Linux server. Eight short lessons for people who already have a login and need to get to the data.
Open the courseTraining & Capacity Building
Developing the next generation of African health researchers through world-class training programmes.
BRTI has a dedicated training room accommodating up to 40 trainees with modern projection equipment. Guarded parking is available on premises. The institute also features a spacious garden with seating for small discussion groups and a covered gazebo for larger sessions.
In person
Courses you attend
Thirty training courses taught at BRTI, not in the browser. When a date is open, sign in and pay online, then attend on that date.
- 1. Methods and data Data management and introduction to biostatistics 5 days · How data is collected, stored, and summarised in community-based research, from types of data through to simple regression.
- 2. Laboratory Next generation sequencing bioinformatics 5 days · Library preparation and pathogen-genomics pipelines, in step with regional genomic surveillance and antimicrobial resistance work.
- 3. Methods and data Systematic reviews and meta-analysis 5 days · How to synthesise evidence systematically, run a meta-analysis, and appraise a published study.
- 4. Writing and leadership Research proposal writing and project planning Length to be set · From a research question to a plan: aims, literature, data management, and unbiased collection.
- 5. Writing and leadership Competitive grant writing and compliance 5 days · Grant writing together with the reporting, financial compliance, and audit work that follows an award.
- 6. Writing and leadership Scientific paper writing and presentation skills 5 days · How a paper is built, submitted, and presented, including authorship and plagiarism.
- 7. Methods and data Community-based research methods 5 days · Study designs used in communities: surveys, cohorts, mixed methods, and community-based trials.
- 8. Methods and data Qualitative research methods in health 5 days · Design and methods for qualitative health research: interviews, observation, focus groups, and documents.
- 9. Methods and data Ethics in health research and in pandemic response 5 days · What the regulations say about quarantine, vaccination, testing, contact tracing, surveillance technology, and infodemics.
- 10. Writing and leadership Advocacy in HIV research Length to be set · How fellows turn research findings into policy briefs and conversations with policy makers.
- 11. Writing and leadership Mentorship training and mentees workshop 5 days · Mentor and mentee roles, communication, and a research mentorship culture.
- 12. Methods and data Responsible conduct of research 5 days · Integrity and ethical principles across design, conduct, and reporting.
- 13. Laboratory Genomics technologies 5 days · PCR, Sanger sequencing, and the first bioinformatics that goes with a Sanger trace.
- 14. Health programmes Emerging and re-emerging diseases and climate change 5 days · A short course on climate change and health, centred on emerging and re-emerging diseases.
- 15. Methods and data Advanced statistics and data analysis 5 days · A workshop series on the analytical methods fellows ask for, beyond the introductory biostatistics course.
- 16. Laboratory Advanced bioinformatics 5 days · Variant calling, metagenomics, and phylogenomics for people who have already done the sequencing course.
- 17. Health programmes Implementation science 5 days · How a research finding moves into practice: dissemination, scale-up, and policy uptake.
- 18. Health programmes Health economics and cost-effectiveness 5 days · An introduction to health economics and budget-impact analysis for programme evaluation.
- 19. Methods and data Digital health and data science 5 days · Principles of data science, what it adds to epidemiology and global health, and how large health datasets are shown.
- 20. Writing and leadership Project and research management 5 days · Budgets, timelines, and people, for staff who deliver funded research.
- 21. Writing and leadership Monitoring and evaluation 5 days · Planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting: logic models, indicators, and use of the data.
- 22. Laboratory Laboratory quality management systems 5 days · Quality control and preparation for ISO and SANAS accreditation in a research laboratory.
- 23. Writing and leadership Science communication and public engagement 5 days · Media interviews, policy briefs, and public presentations.
- 24. Health programmes Climate change and One Health 5 days · Zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental surveillance, following the emerging-diseases course.
- 25. Laboratory HIV diagnostics and monitoring 5 days · Running and troubleshooting HIV molecular tests, drug-resistance workflows, and validation of point-of-care tests.
- 26. Laboratory TB diagnostics 5 days · GeneXpert Ultra, sequencing for TB surveillance, and rapid culture with drug-susceptibility testing.
- 27. Laboratory Immunology and serology techniques 5 days · Flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, ELISA, and multiplex cytokine assays for HIV and TB research.
- 28. Laboratory Clinical sample management 5 days · Biobanking, sample tracking, cold chain, and the ethics of keeping specimens.
- 29. Laboratory Biosafety and biosecurity 5 days · BSL-2 and BSL-3 practice, waste, and emergency preparedness for HIV, TB, and emerging pathogens.
- 30. Laboratory Emerging technologies 5 days · Point-of-care molecular testing and portable sequencing for field and outbreak work.
On this site
Short courses
Lessons you take in the browser. Graded courses have five modules and a timed test after each one. A certificate is issued when the average is 80% or above.
A tidy dataset a statistician can use
Hand over a table that can be analysed: one row per person, stable IDs, real dates, and missing values that mean missing.
Open the courseWhat the IRB is looking for
Prepare an application the BRTI Institutional Review Board can review: consent a participant can follow, risks in plain language, and documents that match.
Open the courseA study day on a clinical trial
Orientation for a trial visit: the protocol for today, consent, source documents, deviations, and an adverse event. This is not an accredited Good Clinical Practice certificate.
Open the courseRead the result before you report it
Viral load, GeneXpert, culture, and drug-sensitivity results: what the words mean, and what must not go on a report.
Open the courseA specimen that can still be found
Labels, aliquots, and freezer logs so a tube still matches the form months later.
Open the courseOne table, one abstract
Turn a small results table into a 250-word abstract: who was studied, the number from the table, and the claim you will not make.
Open the courseA sequencing file, explained
A short primer before a genomics workshop: what a FASTQ file is, what a quality score is saying, and when to stop and ask a bioinformatician.
Open the courseThe statistic you need before you call a statistician
Mean and median, what a confidence interval is saying, and why a p-value is not the result. Enough to ask a useful question.
Open the courseTroubleshooting a computer when you are not in IT
What to try when a work computer will not start, freezes, loses the internet, or will not print, and when to stop and call for help.
Open the coursePhD Fellowships
CREATE Programme
PhD fellowships at the Health Research Unit Zimbabwe (THRU-Zim) at BRTI.
The CREATE PhD Fellowship Program is based at the Health Research Unit Zimbabwe (THRU-Zim) at the Biomedical Research and Training Institute. The programme builds the next generation of African health researchers through rigorous doctoral training and mentored research.
Successful candidates conduct research addressing priority health challenges in Zimbabwe while receiving comprehensive training in research methodology, ethics, and scientific communication. Applications are invited periodically — check our news page for current calls.
Current Opportunities
Visit our news page for the latest CREATE fellowship calls and application deadlines.
EDCTP3
SOFAR Programme
The Southern Africa Research Capacity Network, strengthening research training across Southern Africa.
Funded by the Global Health EDCTP3 programme, the Southern Africa Research Capacity Network (SOFAR) is a collaborative initiative strengthening research capacity and developing skilled, innovative, and resilient African researchers to address major health challenges, particularly infectious diseases.
SOFAR brings together the Biomedical Research and Training Institute and the Health Research Unit Zimbabwe (THRU-Zim), the Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS) in Mozambique, and Zambart Research in Zambia to strengthen research training, mentorship, and collaboration across Southern Africa.
Equity and inclusion
Promoting equity and inclusion across research training and capacity strengthening.
Research capacity
Enhancing research capacity through training, mentorship, and professional development.
Collaboration
Fostering collaboration through South-South and South-North partnerships that strengthen African research institutions and networks.
TESA / EDCTP
Fellowships
Postgraduate and postdoctoral fellowships supporting excellence in health research.
TESA / EDCTP
TESA III Postgraduate Fellowships
Postgraduate fellowships sponsored by the Trials of Excellence in Southern Africa (TESA) through funding from EDCTP, supporting capacity building in clinical trials across Southern Africa.
NIH D43
ATCHIVR Programme
Advanced training in HIV and opportunistic infections genomics, with fellowships at doctoral and postdoctoral levels in pathogens genomics and bioinformatics.
CREATE
CREATE PhD Fellowships
Doctoral fellowships at THRU-Zim addressing priority health research questions in Zimbabwe with comprehensive mentored training.
General
How to Apply
Fellowship calls are announced on our news page. For enquiries, contact admin@brti.co.zw.
Short Courses
Workshops
Practical training workshops building research skills across biomedical science.
Featured Workshop
Advanced Genomics Technologies (AGT)
A hands-on training workshop designed to enable researchers, laboratory scientists, and postgraduate students to learn more about genomic technologies and explore potential research areas.
The workshop covers next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics fundamentals, and practical applications in infectious disease genomics. Training is conducted at BRTI's Avondale premises with access to molecular laboratory facilities.
Early Career
Internships
Gain hands-on experience in world-class biomedical research and laboratory science.
BRTI offers structured internships for early-career scientists, laboratory technicians, and research administrators. Interns work alongside experienced researchers on active projects, gaining practical skills in study design, data collection, laboratory techniques, and research ethics.
Internship placements are available across research divisions, laboratory services, and administration. Opportunities are announced periodically — contact us to express interest or check our careers page for open positions.
Apply for Training Opportunities
Contact the training team about fellowships, workshops, and internships at BRTI.