PRESS RELEASE

The Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW), an affiliate of Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) – a leading health research and training institution, is proud to announce the official launch of its newly constructed Clinical Research Excellent and Training Open Resource (CREATOR) building on 7th August 2024. This cutting-edge building is set to be the epitome of the vision for postgraduate specialist training of Doctors and Research Scientists made to benefit health. Joining hands with its key partners and funders of the building, The Malawi Government, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Wellcome, University of Liverpool (UoL) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), MLW will hold the launch at its head offices in Blantyre.

The CREATOR VISION

Transforming postgraduate medical education and research in Sub-Saharan Africa is the vision of CREATOR.

“The CREATOR building is an inspirational project that we are excited to launch. It represents our great ambition to transform the training of clinicians and scientists in this country, to equip them with skills and expertise to be able to respond to the various health challenges that this country and the surrounding region are facing.” – Professor Henry Mwandumba, Director of the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme.

THE CREATOR VALUE: GROWTH AND INNOVATION

CREATOR promises to revolutionize health research in Malawi and the region, increasing the scale and quality of research endeavors while enriching postgraduate specialist education within the country. Over the years MLW and its core partners, the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), The University of Liverpool (UoL), and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) have nurtured researchers through various academic levels: Pre-Masters, Masters, Pre-PhD, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral levels. With the CREATOR building, this training pipeline will be scaled up as more training opportunities will be created. The CREATOR building will accommodate a 30% increase in MLW-based research activities over the next ten years.

The CREATOR will house an innovation hub, a space where ideas will be born, tested, and grown through collaboration. We aim for our science to be world-class, relevant and innovative, and we will continue to achieve this with this innovation hub.

THE CREATOR BUILDING

The CREATOR is an inspiring Building. The design of the CREATOR building strikes a balance between having a modern scientific appeal and welcoming appearance, combined with high technical performance specifications and longevity. The Training Open Resource on the ground floor will be used as a space for teaching and working with open access to training resources suitable for future leaders. The second floor houses the Postgraduate Resource Centre with 24/7 access that will allow for self-learning to a high degree made possible by a modern digital library. The second and third floors are research offices designed to promote Clinical Research Excellence. Advanced epidemiology and large clinical trial support will be accommodated in open plan offices. Single-cell transcriptomics, modern imaging and rapid pathogen sequencing will be accommodated in the new 4th floor laboratory.

The CREATOR building launch is expected to attract both local and international guests with His Excellency Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chancellor of KUHeS, as the Guest of Honour.

CREATOR is a testament to our mission of ‘research driving health.’ It is a resource that will make a significant and lasting impact to health in Malawi and Sub-Saharan Africa, and a beacon for world-class innovative research and training for the next generation of health research leaders.

BACKGROUND

The Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW) conducts excellent research to benefit health and trains the next generation of health researchers and leaders. The Programme was established in 1995 and it is a partnership between the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (formerly The College of Medicine), the University of Liverpool and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. MLW is primarily funded by the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom. Since 1995, MLW has contributed to the improvement of healthcare by translating its research into policy and practice in Malawi and beyond. MLW began its research with a single focus on Cerebral Malaria but over time its research portfolio has expanded.

Partnering with the Malawi Government through the Ministries of Health, Education, and other ministries, MLW has had exceptional successes in high impact translational research addressing Malawi and global health priorities, influencing Malaria, Typhoid, HIV, Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Tuberculosis prevention, and treatment policy. MLW’s will continue to conduct research that addresses existing and emerging health issues such as climate and health, non-communicable diseases and sustaining a pipeline of well-trained researchers in Malawi.

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