KSRIC BRITE

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), convened a high-level planning meeting at KIPRE for the Biologics Regional Innovation and Technology Ecosystem (BRITE) Kenya initiative, a strategic effort to transform health research into scalable biologic solutions for Africa.

BRITE Kenya connects reciprocal learnings between the UK’s BRITE Programme and Kenya’s science ecosystem to develop products such as vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and antivenoms for critical health issues including infectious diseases, cancer, and antimicrobial resistance.

Leading the Kenyan delegation were Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni Muriuki CBS, and Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Dr. Ouma Oluga, OGW. The meeting convened key stakeholders, among them the Kenya BioVax Institute Limited, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and local universities such as the University of Nairobi and Egerton University, to discuss collaboration, skills development, and the commercialisation of biologics.

Kenya Snakebite Research & Intervention Centre received particular recognition for its multidisciplinary research and contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of snakebite and antivenom development.