Our partnerships fuel every stride we take in improving public health. Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) collaborates with dozens of partners worldwide—from premier universities to grassroots community organizations—driving innovation and impact at scale. Through these 50+ strategic partnerships, MakSPH secures roughly half of all research grants at Makerere University, illustrating how collaboration amplifies our reach. Together with our partners, we turn shared goals into life-saving programs, contributing to MakSPH’s leadership in public health across Africa and beyond.
Our partners over the years: We have had the opportunity to work with these partners over the past 70 years.
Universities:
- America: Johns Hopkins University (USA), Purdue University (USA), University of Chicago (USA), University of California, San Francisco (USA), Medical College of Wisconsin (USA), University of Texas at San Antonio (USA), University of Notre Dame (USA), University of Southern California (USA), Tufts College (USA), Kennesaw State University (USA), Arizona State University (USA), University of New Mexico (USA), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (USA), San Diego State University (USA), George Washington University (USA)
- Europe: University of Bergen (Norway), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), University College London (UK), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (UK), Keele University (UK), Maynooth University (Ireland), University of Stirling (UK), University of Manchester (UK), University of Edinburgh (UK), Queen Mary University of London (UK), Imperial College London (UK), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands), University of Antwerp (Belgium), Nottingham Trent University (UK), The Open University (UK)
- Africa: University of Ghana (Ghana), Somalia National University (Somalia), University of Nairobi (Kenya), Muhimbili University (Tanzania), University of Kinshasa (DR Congo), University of Malawi (Malawi), The University of Zambia (Zambia), University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar, Senegal), University of Ibadan (Nigeria), Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Département Santé Publique (Burkina Faso), Université Abdou Moumouni, Faculté des Sciences de la Santé (Niger)
- Asia-Pacific & Global: United Nations University, The George Institute
Organizations:
- Multilateral/Bilateral Development Agencies: USAID (United States Agency for International Development), European Commission, European Union, UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Department of State, DFID (UK Department for International Development), DFA (Irish Department of Foreign Affairs), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Global Fund
- Government Research Councils & Public Health Institutes: Swedish Research Council, Medical Research Council (UK), SFI (Science Foundation Ireland), Dutch Research Council (NWO), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH)
- Philanthropic Foundations: The Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation (aka Hewlett Foundation), Rockefeller Foundation, John Templeton Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies
- Global Health Funds & Partnerships: Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS), Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, EDCTP (European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership),NORHED II (Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development)
- NGOs & Implementing Partners: Chemonics International, FHI 360 (Family Health International) & FHI Partners, Jhpiego, WaterAid, Amref Health Africa, Catholic Relief Services, Doctors with Africa – CUAMM, Vital Strategies, ThinkWell
- Research Networks, Think Tanks—RAND Corporation, Results for Development (R4D), African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), AFREhealth (Africa Forum for Research & Education in Health), Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), Stichting Lygature, International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG), Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health, Oxford Policy Management
- Private Sector: Pfizer, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Serum Institute of India (SIIPL), Vakzine Project Management GmbH
- Cross-cutting: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Children’s Mercy Hospital, Global International Development UK, GIZ (German Corporation for International Cooperation), European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) (appears under funds but also multi-stakeholder), African Union, Africa CDC
Local: Ministry of Health, Uganda; Infectious Disease Institute (IDI); Marie Stopes Uganda; Presidential Scientific Initiative on Epidemics (PRESIDE)/Office of the President of Uganda; Family Television; Uganda AIDS Commission; Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA); Ministry of Local Government & District Health Offices
Regional research and service projects implemented in sub-Saharan Africa
The School has implemented several projects in sub-Saharan Africa, supporting 20 countries over the years.
- MakSPH coordinates the Center for Tobacco Control in Africa with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation via the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
- MakSPH has successfully implemented the Resilient Africa Network, a 5-year, 50 million USD USAID funded project, as a Prime partner supporting several African countries (Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Malawi, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Senegal).
- MakSPH also implements the USAID funded One Health Central and East Africa, which supports 8 African countries.
- MakSPH is implementing a Global Fund grant, supporting ministries of health in 7 African countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to enhance analytic capacity and use.
Community Service and Engagement: MakSPH works closely with government, industry, business, and the community to drive public health and scientific and technological progress across East Africa and the world at large. MakSPH staff and students are committed to working with disadvantaged communities and developing practical initiatives that are responsive to and engage communities through the use of social and participatory action research, community empowerment ideologies, and partnerships. The School has invested in facilities to coordinate, support, and advance informed community engagement with the intention of leveraging its collective influence towards promoting positive social change within communities. The School has 8 District field training sites in which undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as faculty, work with the District health teams to identify health problems and address them through evidence-based approaches.
