We are so proud to announce that the CREATOR building has been evaluated as the most outstanding project in Malawi by the Construction Industry Regulatory Authority (CIRA).
This award was presented to Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme during last week’s Construction Day 2026 under the theme: “People, Quality, and Innovation: Building a Legacy.”
National Construction Day is a landmark event dedicated to celebrating the men and women of the construction industry, professionals, firms, manufacturers, suppliers, and innovators, whose dedication, expertise, and commitment continue to shape the nation’s infrastructure and drive socio economic development.
The commemoration provides a unique platform for reflection on the industry’s achievements, recognition of excellence and innovation, and renewed commitment to quality, professionalism, and sustainable development within the construction sector.
What is the CREATOR?
The Clinical Research Excellence and Training Open Resource (CREATOR) building at the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Programme (MLW) in Blantyre is a modern centre for health research and medical training. It was created to help improve health research, specialist medical education, and leadership in Malawi and the wider sub-Saharan African region.
CREATOR gives doctors, researchers, students, and partner organisations a place to learn, work together, and carry out research that addresses important health problems in Malawi and nearby countries.
Purpose of CREATOR
The main purpose of CREATOR is to provide a strong and lasting space where high-quality health research and specialist training can take place. It helps clinicians and scientists build advanced skills, study health issues that matter locally, and use research findings to improve patient care, public health decisions, and health services.
In simple terms, CREATOR brings together medical training, laboratory work, clinical studies, data research, new ideas, and policy discussions in one place. It is not only a building; it is a resource for developing future African health research leaders.
Training and Skills Development
CREATOR helps improve postgraduate medical training in Malawi. It supports students and professionals at different levels, including master’s students, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical specialists. The building provides teaching rooms, research support, training resources, and opportunities for people from different fields to learn from one another.
Research and New Ideas
CREATOR is designed to help researchers do more and better health research. It supports laboratory work, clinical studies, health data research, and research that can be used to improve real-life health care. The work can focus on important health issues such as infectious diseases, maternal and child health, vaccines, long-term diseases, climate-related health risks, and health system needs.
The building also includes spaces where people can meet, share ideas, and develop practical solutions. This helps ensure that research is not only strong academically, but also useful for patients, communities, health workers, and policy makers.
Working with Partners
CREATOR is used by MLW and its partners, including Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the University of Liverpool, Wellcome Trust, and other local and international organisations.
These partnerships help connect hospitals, universities, laboratories, public health work, and international expertise. They also help make sure that research is shaped by the health needs of Malawi and Africa, not only by outside interests.
Expected Impact
CREATOR is expected to have a long-term positive impact. In Malawi, it can help train more specialists, strengthen research leadership, and produce evidence that improves health care. Across the region, it can show how countries with limited resources can build strong research and training systems.
Overall, CREATOR aims to improve health and wellbeing by giving African clinicians and scientists the space and support they need to lead research, train others, influence policy, and develop solutions for Malawi and sub-Saharan Africa.
The Cost of CREATOR
The total value of the CREATOR project was MK23 billion.
The groundbreaking of the project was in 2021, and it was officially opened in 2024, and put in use by January of 2025. The structure boasts of 4 floors, plus a rooftop that overlooks the Soche mountain.
The first floor accommodates a Postgraduate Resource Centre, a space that allows for self-learning of a high degree, the Nzeru online library to support this self-learning, along with the Innovation Hub.
The second and third floors are research spaces designed to promote multi-disciplinary, project-based Clinical Research Excellence. The fourth floor accommodates a state-of-the-art laboratory which will bring single-cell transcriptomics, modern imaging and rapid pathogen sequencing.
We acknowledge funding from the Wellcome UK, University of Liverpool and Liverpool Schoool of Tropical Medicine, as well as contributions by Malawi Government for the land and Kamuzu University of Health Science as a partner.
