On 22 October 2023, Dr. Eren Zink, Senior Research Advisor at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and member of the Joint Coordinating Board (JCB) of TDR, visited the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) in Addis Ababa.
Founded in 1970 through a partnership between Ethiopia, Sweden, and Norway, AHRI began as a small laboratory dedicated to studying leprosy immunology. Over the past five decades, it has grown into a leading public biomedical and clinical research institute, with an expanded mandate that includes advancing pharmaceutical research, innovation, and local manufacturing capacity in Ethiopia.
AHRI has benefited immensely from the longstanding support of Sida and Norad, which has been instrumental in its scientific growth and institutional development. AHRI’s partnership with TDR dates back to the 1970s, when Dr. Tore Godal, a Norwegian scientist who served as AHRI’s second Director, went on to become TDR’s second Executive Director—laying the foundation for a strong and enduring collaboration between the institutions.
Today, TDR continues to work closely with AHRI in key areas such as research ethics, clinical trial capacity building, research mentorship, and community engagement.
During his visit, Dr. Zink held productive discussions with Dr. Alemseged Abdissa, AHRI’s Deputy Director General; Dr. Abraham Aseffa, Adjunct Senior Scientist (former AHRI Director and former Lead of TDR’s Implementation Research Unit); Dr. Andargachew Mulu, Senior Scientist; and other AHRI staff members. The discussions focused on strengthening ongoing collaborations and identifying new opportunities to enhance research and innovation capacity across Africa.
Following the meeting, Dr. Zink toured both the historic AHRI laboratory and campus; and the new government funded eight-story laboratory complex, which is currently being furnished and equipped with state-of-the-art research technologies—marking a new era of scientific advancement for the institute. During his site visit, which included conversations with postgraduate students working in the laboratories, Dr. Eren saw firsthand how Sida’s support to TDR and AHRI has translated into real, on-the-ground impact—strengthening research capacity and motivation visible in the confidence and enthusiasm of young researchers at the grassroots level.