FBW delivers cutting-edge medical facility for Malawi

MALAWI—The FBW Group, a leading African architecture and engineering firm, has inaugurated Malawi’s first specialist postgraduate medical training center.

The newly established Clinical Research Excellence And Training Open Resource (CREATOR) is set to revolutionize the clinical research landscape in the region with its state-of-the-art facilities.

CREATOR represents a significant milestone in FBW’s ongoing commitment to advancing African medical infrastructure.

This centre is part of a broader initiative involving several prominent international organizations, including Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (formerly the College of Medicine), Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), the University of Liverpool, and the medical research charity Wellcome.

This collaborative effort aims to boost the capabilities of The Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW), a leading institution in medical research.

The multi-million-pound investment in CREATOR will greatly enhance MLW’s research facilities, providing expanded space for postgraduate medical training and advanced research.

This expansion is expected to increase research capacity by 30% over the next decade, helping to retain talent and expertise within the region.

The official opening of the centre was marked by a ceremony attended by the President of Malawi, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera.

The facility, designed by FBW, features a cutting-edge building that includes an innovation hub, a new laboratory for single-cell transcriptomics, modern imaging facilities, and rapid pathogen sequencing capabilities.

In addition, the centre boasts modern teaching spaces, a postgraduate resource centre with a capacity for 200 clinical trainees, a library, and dedicated offices for advanced epidemiology and clinical trials.

During the opening ceremony, Professor Henry Mwandumba, Director of MLW, emphasized the crucial role CREATOR will play in advancing high-quality research.

He noted that the center is a training facility and a comprehensive support system for clinicians, enabling groundbreaking research that could significantly improve health outcomes in Malawi and beyond.

The CREATOR clinic represents a collaborative project involving the UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC), The Wellcome Trust, the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), and The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Paul Moores, FBW Group Managing Director, expressed his pride in contributing to this vital development.

He highlighted that CREATOR will transform the region’s future of medical research and training.

 FBW’s Chief Operating Officer Stuart Harley reflected on the company’s long-standing connections with the healthcare sector.

He emphasized that projects like CREATOR have been life-changing as FBW continues to provide practical solutions tailored to local needs while creating healthy patient environments.

 FBW has been actively involved in medical projects in East Africa for over 25 years, focusing on clinics and hospitals in remote areas.

Their ongoing efforts include groundbreaking initiatives such as a women’s health project in Kigutu, Burundi, and the first phase of a US$1 million research clinic in Entebbe.

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