icddr,b is an international health research institute based in Bangladesh. Originally founded in the 1960s, icddr,b was instrumental in developing oral rehydration therapy–credited with saving 70 million lives worldwide. From an early focus on cholera and diarrhoeal diseases, our scope has expanded to encompass most of the health challenges facing low- and middle-income countries.

icddr,b was founded at the onset of a major cholera pandemic in the 1960s, the then-South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) established a small laboratory in Dhaka named Cholera Research Laboratory (CRL) to be operated under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. Later in 1978, CRL became the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) through a Government of Bangladesh Ordinance, followed by a World Health Organization assembly in Geneva in 1979 as an international health research institution charged with developing solutions suitable for scale-up in Bangladesh and beyond. With  partners and core donors, icddr,b are developing low-cost solutions that work in Bangladesh and can be scaled up to other resource-poor settings.

Several factors have been central to icddr,b success:

• Being embedded within an LMIC, ensuring intimate familiar with health and health system challenges.
• Understanding of the socio-economic and cultural determinants of health, as well as local health priorities, which enable development and evaluation of appropriate interventions.
• Rigorous testing and scalability, generates evidence that is not just relevant in Bangladesh but also improves the health and wellbeing of people living in comparable LMICs.
• Commitment to translating research into policy and practice and vast experience in disseminating scientific evidence to be used by policymakers, programme managers, and the scientific community.
• Icddr,b researchers collectively comprise one of the largest and strongest communities of scientific expertise in the global South. They are extensively networked with leading research institutions in North America, Europe, and Australasia.

The scope of research undertaken at icddr,b allows icddr,b to consider solutions using a multi-dimensional approach, and increasing cross-divisional work to benefit from integrated learning. Underpinning icddr,b research is a unique infrastructure that enables icddr,b to undertake a full spectrum of research—spanning population-based studies and demographic surveillance, large-scale clinical trials, hospital-based clinical studies, disease surveillance, and laboratory research utilising the latest technologies.

As well as being a major facility for clinical research, icddr,b’s Dhaka and Matlab Hospitals are a beacon of healthcare excellence, treating about 200,000 patients from impoverished communities each year and setting the standard for treating infectious disease  and malnutrition, among other conditions, in LMICs. For over 50 years, icddr,b’s Matlab Health and Demographic Surveillance Site has been the longest continuously running demographic surveillance site in the Global South. With laboratories that are internationally accredited high-quality services are provided to icddr,b scientists and to the public.

Icddr,b strategy maintains a focus on areas of unmet health needs where there are existing strengths. This dynamic plan maintains the flexibility to respond to global health agendas such as the SDGs, emerging disease threats, emergency situations, and major disease elimination initiatives.

The Strategic direction and goals for 2023-2027 are based on Innovation, Impact, Collaboration and Reputation and Branding. For the full strategy https://www.icddrb.org/about-us/strategy/strategic-plan

In recognition of its scientific and humanitarian contributions, icddr,b has won many international awards, including most notably:

• In 2001, icddr,b received the first Gates Award for Global Health for its development of oral rehydration solution, an innovation credited with saving 50 million lives;
• In 2005, icddr,b received the Bangladesh Independence Day Award, and; 
• In 2017, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in recognition of icddr,b’s innovative approach to solving global health issues impacting the world’s most impoverished communities;
• In 2023, Dr. Firdausi Qadri, Emeritus Scientist, received the Bangladesh Independence Award – the highest National Award.

Icdr,b are engaged with the Government of Bangladesh as well as actively sharing our evidence and experience with other low and middle-income countries to ensure that our research benefits people in the greatest need. 

Our research priorities are organised around ten public health goals:

•  Identify and assess potential areas of innovation
•  Address health risks related to climate change
• Address health risks related to gender, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
• Prevent and manage non-communicable diseases
• Improve healthcare in urban populations and achieve universal health coverage
• Prevent and control infectious diseases
• Improve maternal and newborn health
• Reduce maternal, adolescent and childhood malnutrition
• Enhance laboratory services and support genomics research
• Improve hospital services and clinical research

While these ten themes form the focus of our research, we have also established and invested in the following research initiative: 

• Examining health consequences of climate change

Vision, Mission and Values

Our Vision

A world in which more people survive and enjoy healthy lives.

Our Mission

To solve public health problems through innovative scientific research

Our Values

• Excellence

We are single-minded in our pursuit of scientific rigour and operational efficiency

• Integrity

We are a responsible and accountable organisation, committed to the highest standards of behaviour

• Inclusivity

We collaborate effectively throughout the organisation and with our partners

The Scientific Division

icddr,b is structured into four Divisions. The Scientific Divisions are headed by Senior Scientists who carry out various research activities with specific scientific goals and lead the programs operating within the Divisions. Each division has separate Strategic Priorities, Strategic Initiatives, and different programmes, units, laboratories, and special activities to address the key research themes of icddr,b. The scientific programmes of the divisions are guided by the respective programme heads and the administrative functions of the divisions are coordinated by the respective Division Support Unit (DSU) Coordinators.

The Infectious Diseases Division (IDD) is working heavily on two research priorities. Eg: Controlling of enteric and respiratory infections and Controlling of emerging infections. In addition, IDD is also working on program for HIV and AIDS. Studies on enteric and respiratory diseases have been designed based on laboratory and field-based activities which together have yielded results that are world-class in quality and evolved with active collaboration with laboratories in the USA, UK, Japan, Australia, Africa, and Europe. The multi-directional work with the Government of Bangladesh and International experts has resulted in providing evidence and also supporting the transfer of technology of different vaccines to Bangladesh and its production locally which will hopefully be available at a low and affordable cost.

IDD focus has been on basic studies on the understanding of the systemic and mucosal immunology of diseases with the thrust on natural infections and their application and extension to better determine vaccine efficacy. Coupled with this is the attempt to understand the role of environmental and nutritional factors on the immune responses to natural infection and vaccines. Emphasis has been on studies of cholera, ETEC, parasitic diseases, respiratory infections, and typhoid vaccines and determining optimal methods for determining surrogate markers of protection. The hypo-responsiveness of developing country children to oral vaccines is also an area of interest. The study of genetics and genomics of hosts and pathogens has been important in the attempt to understand infectious diseases, population-based predisposition, metagenomics, and changing virulence attributes of pathogens. In addition, IDD scientists are working with Centres of Excellence in Sweden, UK, Australia, Japan, and the USA in the field of proteomics, genomics, and metagenomics, and key features have been identified that can be related to the causes of the propensity of infections.

Another important interest is the development of diagnostic tests for the detection of enteric pathogens. This has included the development of setting up of a hybridoma laboratory for the production of mouse monoclonal antibodies and the development of diagnostic assays for detection of V. cholerae O1/O139 and other bacterial pathogens. These monoclonal antibodies are used in Bangladesh and in other countries for diagnosis and research purposes.