The Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI), which will be completed in 2022, will be one of the most innovative and advanced biomedical research centres in Africa.
“This facility will help us realise our vision of becoming Africa’s leading research-intensive university, globally recognised as excellent, inclusive and innovative, where we advance knowledge in service of society,” says Professor Wim de Villiers, the university's rector and vice-chancellor.
“The BMRI is set to significantly advance our capacity to undertake world class research on the leading health problems affecting our people. It will also contribute considerably to building research capability in the African region,” says FMHS Dean, Professor Jimmy Volmink.
The institute’s main aims will be to investigate diseases that have the greatest impact on communities in South Africa and the rest of Africa, and to translate its discoveries into improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of illnesses such as TB, HIV, diabetes, heart disease and neurological disorders, among others.
“Africa bears the brunt of the global burden of disease, with a number of major epidemics colliding across our continent. With one of the top medical faculties in Africa, Stellenbosch University has a huge responsibility to help lead in the endeavour to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all,” says Professor Nico Gey van Pittius, the FMHS vice dean: research, and professor in molecular biology.
Biomedical teaching, training and research at the FMHS has up to now been based in its physiology and anatomy (FISAN) building, which was built in the 1970s. In the four decades since the building has been opened, student numbers have more than tripled and the field of biomedicine has changed dramatically.
The new BMRI will provide additional space and be on par with the most advanced and sophisticated biomedical research facilities in the world. The new facility will allow for the immediate expansion of current research activities, as well as strengthen research and teaching capacity in fields such as bioinformatics, genomics, anatomy, neurobiology, advanced surgical sciences and biobanking.
Apart from a range of research laboratories, the new facility will also host:
Unique architectural features of the new BMRI include the following: