Research
Evidence that transforms health systems
Mildmay Research Centre Uganda (MRCU) runs three distinct streams of research: clinical studies that test what works, implementation research that gets it delivered, and innovation that turns findings into usable tools. All three sit on shared infrastructure and independent ethics review.
Three streams
How our research is organised
Each stream answers a different kind of question and is run by teams with different methods. Keeping them distinct is what lets each be done properly.
Clinical research
Does this treatment work, and is it safe? Randomized trials, therapeutics and ART optimisation, maternal and paediatric health, mental health and palliative care.
Implementation research
How do we get it to people at scale? Behavioural science, health systems and service delivery, public health and epidemic response, health economics and evaluation.
Innovation
Can this become a usable product? Digital health and AI, diagnostic and tool validation, translation through TRANSPIRE, and evaluation consultancies.
Disease and population focus
What we study
Across all three streams, our work concentrates on the conditions and populations that carry the greatest burden in Uganda and comparable settings.
HIV and chronic care
Antiretroviral therapy optimisation, long-term outcomes, multimorbidity and differentiated service delivery across paediatric, adolescent and adult populations.
Tuberculosis
TB preventive treatment, infection testing, community awareness and screening campaigns, and knowledge of TB prevention across central Uganda.
Maternal, child and adolescent health
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission, first-line regimen safety in pregnancy, adolescent girls and young women, and paediatric outcomes.
Mental health
Depression and its relationship with treatment adherence and clinical outcomes, and integration of mental health into routine care.
Malaria and emerging infections
Malaria elimination in high-transmission settings, epidemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance and integrated screening services.
Key and vulnerable populations
Fisherfolk communities, urban refugees, adolescent girls and young women, and other populations underserved by standard service models.
What makes the research possible
Shared infrastructure behind every study
All three streams draw on the same institutional assets. This is what allows a study to be designed, approved, run, analysed and published in one place.
Population cohort
A defined population under disease surveillance, followed over time.
Accredited laboratory
ISO 15189 SANAS-accredited and a national backup testing facility.
Biorepository
Cold chain specimen storage linked to clinical and outcome data.
Data systems
More than 25 years of linked longitudinal clinical records.
Research strategy
Three pillars
What guides us
Our commitments
Other research and cross-cutting work
Research activity beyond the named studies
Alongside funded studies and projects, MRCU runs continuing work that supports the wider research programme and strengthens the national research environment.
Research capacity building
MicroResearch training, manuscript and abstract writing workshops, and structured mentorship that strengthen local research capacity and scientific writing.
Fellowships and secondary analysis
Hosting Masters and postdoctoral fellows who analyse MRCU's longitudinal datasets under governance and ethics review.
Evaluation consultancies
Independent evaluation of programmes, tools and digital interventions for implementers, developers and funders.
Data access collaboration
External researchers can propose analyses using MRCU's longitudinal data repository, subject to governance review, ethics approval and data-sharing agreements.
Grantsmanship support
Concept shaping, proposal development, budgeting and compliance support so competitive funding is won and managed properly.
Community advisory engagement
Community Advisory Board management and participant engagement that keep studies accountable to the communities they serve.
Studies and Projects
Looking for a specific study?
PREGART, UPART, GOALS, INMIND, GHAP, TEST4TPT and TRANSPIRE each have their own entry, with funders, design and status.
Studies and Projects
The full list of named studies, trials, cohorts and innovation projects hosted at MRCU.
TEST4TPT
Person-centred TB prevention through SIILTIBCY skin testing, AI-assisted reading and community delivery across Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.
TRANSPIRE
Transforming health research prototypes into validated, scalable real-world enterprises.
Collaboration
Have a study, dataset or protocol requiring validation?
MRCU welcomes research collaborations across clinical studies, implementation research, data science, diagnostics and ethics governance.
Explore collaboration