icddr,b is a Bangladesh-based international health research institute that strives to solve key public health problems through high-quality scientific research and innovation. For more than 50 years, icddr,b has been a beacon of high-quality research in South Asia. It has led research that has saved millions of lives (see timeline/box). From its origins as a centre specialising in diarrhoeal diseases, it is now an internationally recognised centre of excellence across a wide range of conditions. icddr,b’s work is guided by a number of key principles:
High-quality science: icddr,b is committed to scientific excellence, and disseminating information through the scientific literature including high-impact journals. Local relevance: The questions icddr,b addresses are important priorities for Bangladesh and regionally. Policy-oriented research: To achieve practical impact, our research has a strong focus on the realities of implementation in resource-poor settings. Global networking: icddr,b has outstanding links to world-leading research centres in the developed world, enabling us to access unmatched global knowledge and expertise. Regional and global impact: As well as enhancing public health and clinical care in Bangladesh, we also aim to work with other centres in the developing world to build knowledge and promote the uptake of evidence-based policy and practice. Training and capacity-building: We make an important contribution to the regional science base, training of local healthcare professionals, and to research and public health capacity in the developing world more generally. icddr,b has established a comprehensive programme of research, with particular strengths in infectious disease and vaccinology, reproductive health, neonatal and child health, malnutrition and food security, and other areas. Our scientific workforce comprising of nearly 200 scientifically trained staff is organised into ten Centres focusing on key health issues. Underpinning the programmes is an extensive research infrastructure that enables us to undertake a full spectrum of research – spanning population-based studies and demographic surveillance, large-scale clinical trials, hospital-based clinical studies, and laboratory research utilising the very latest technologies. This unique combination of scientific expertise and research infrastructure enables us to address key health issues from multiple directions, and to carry out the interdisciplinary studies that will be required to address the most intractable health challenges that Bangladesh and other developing countries now face.
