AiBST is a hybrid institute with elements of tertiary academic institutions and biomedical R&D companies to enable it to operate in an environment which still requires capacity and capability building with respect to skilled manpower and research infrastructure, at the same time be translational research oriented to deliver on medical products and services that address Africa’s healthcare challenges. Our ultimate aim is to deliver life transforming healthcare solutions. The governance bodies of the African Institute of Biomedical Science and technology (AiBST) comprise the Board of Directors (BD), the Academic and the R&D Committee (ARDC), the International Advisory Board (IAB) and the Management Committee (MC). The BD is composed of the directors under whom the institute is registered.

The BD meets once a month. The ARDC is composed of all Professors , Directors and Associate Directors at AiBST. The ARDC meets 4 times a year to discuss and make recommendations for AiBST’s research focus in response to medical needs and international standards. The IAB is composed of experts of international standing in diverse fields of expertise of importance to the strategic development of AiBST. The IAB meets once a year at AiBST but has at least 4 teleconferences a year. The MC is composed of the President and Chief Scientific Officer, the Managing Director of Administration & Finance, The Directors of Molecular Sciences and Medical Bioanalytics.

The MC is responsible for the overall management of AiBST and it meets once a week. The whole governing body meat once a year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) where major changes (Change of Board members, and appointments (Manager and Associated Director level appointments upwards) are made or officially endorsed as stipulated in the institute’s constitution.

Healthcare in Africa

AiBST was founded in 2002 by Professor Collen Masimirembwa. Its initial were the organisation of courses on the science and technology of drug discovery and development. The first course was in Cape Town (South Africa) in 2002 and focused on ADMET for drug discovery. The second one was in Nairobi (Kenya) in 2003 focusing on Pharmacogenetics of Drug Metabolism. The courses generated tremendous interest among African scientists resulting in them forming the African Society for Drug Metabolism and Development (ASDMD) at the meeting in Cape Town and the African Pharmacogenomics Consortium at the meeting in Nairobi.

AiBST demonstrated a viable interface African researchers and international academics and industrialists could work together to establish capacity for biopharmaceutical R&D in Africa. With support from pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Merck, funding organizations such as WHO-TDR, CDC(Atlanta), ISP, EDCTP, NIH, SANBIO, BfArM and TWAS, AiBST established state-of- the-art biomedical research laboratories and a Phase I Clinical Trial Unit in Zimbabwe.AiBST has now established itself as both a pioneer and champion in the fields of Genomic and Pharmaceutical Medicine, Forensic Science and Molecular Diagnostics.

It also has a vibrant postgraduate training program at Masters and PhD level which innovatively uses a Global Faculty of experts from academia and industry to produce the next generation of African biomedical scientists. Research scientists at AiBST have won many national, regional and international awards for their innovations. This is making it the partner of choice for regional and international universities and biomedical companies wishing to tackle the most challenging biomedical research question in Africa or wishing to deploy innovative solutions on the African continent.