R&D labs in Kenya
The 311 Institute tracks 30 R&D labs in Kenya: 14 research institutes, 7 government, 4 intergovernmental, 2 corporate, 2 university and 1 military. Most are in Nairobi, Mombasa and Juja, and the leading organisations include CGIAR, ICIPE and African Academy of Sciences. Their main focus areas are plant science, general agricultural and biological sciences, ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics and public health, environmental and occupational health.
Part of the 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory. Compiled by Matthew Griffin. Last updated .
30labs
27organisations
7cities
30verified
All 30 labs
| Lab and organisation | Location | Type and sector | Focus | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM Research AfricaIBM | Nairobi, Kenya | Corporate Technology | AI, Health tech, Agriculture | 2013 |
| Microsoft Africa Research InstituteMicrosoft | Nairobi, Kenya | Corporate Technology | AI, Society | |
| International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid TropicsCGIAR | Nairobi, Kenya | Government Agriculture and food | Plant Science, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Genetics | 1972 |
| Information and Communication Technology AuthorityInformation and Communication Technology Authority | Nairobi, Kenya | Government Public policy and analysis | Global and Planetary Change, Accounting, Economics and Econometrics | 2013 |
| Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)Kenya government | Nairobi, Kenya | Government Healthcare and life sciences | Infectious disease | 1979 |
| Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and AnalysisKenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis | Nairobi, Kenya | Government Public policy and analysis | General Economics, Econometrics and Finance, Economics and Econometrics, Pollution | 1997 |
| National Commission for Science, Technology, and InnovationNational Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation | Nairobi, Kenya | Government Healthcare and life sciences | Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Information Systems and Management, Reproductive Medicine | 2013 |
| National Research Fund KenyaNational Research Fund Kenya | Nairobi, Kenya | Government Technology | Information Systems, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, Water Science and Technology | |
| Wildlife Research and Training InstituteWildlife Research and Training Institute | Naivasha, Kenya | Government Environment and climate | Ecology, Urology, Geometry and Topology | 2021 |
| United States Army Medical Research Directorate - AfricaWalter Reed Army Institute of Research | Nairobi, Kenya | Military Healthcare and life sciences | Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Infectious Diseases, Molecular Biology | 1969 |
| University of NairobiUniversities in Kenya | Nairobi, Kenya | University Multidisciplinary research | Medicine, Agriculture | 1970 |
| Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental StudiesUniversity of Nairobi | Nairobi, Kenya | University Environment and climate | Global and Planetary Change, Pollution, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics | 2009 |
| International Livestock Research InstituteCGIAR | Nairobi, Kenya | Intergovernmental Agriculture and food | Livestock, Animal health | 1994 |
| International Centre of Insect Physiology and EcologyICIPE | Nairobi, Kenya | Intergovernmental Agriculture and food | Insect science, Food security | 1970 |
| International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)ICIPE | Nairobi, Kenya | Intergovernmental Agriculture and food | Insect science, Health | 1970 |
| International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)ILRI | Nairobi, Kenya | Intergovernmental Agriculture and food | Livestock, Animal health | 1994 |
| African Academy of SciencesAfrican Academy of Sciences | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Multidisciplinary research | Information Systems and Management, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Mechanics of Materials | 1985 |
| International Potato CenterCGIAR | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Agriculture and food | Plant Science, Agronomy and Crop Science, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 1971 |
| Sino-Africa Joint Research CenterChinese Academy of Sciences | Juja, Kenya | Research institute Agriculture and food | Plant Science, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics | |
| Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian OceanCoastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean | Mombasa, Kenya | Research institute Environment and climate | Ecology, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Oceanography | 1999 |
| Coffee Research InstituteCoffee Research Institute | Kiambu, Kenya | Research institute Agriculture and food | Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Cell Biology, Pharmacology | 1908 |
| Institute of Primate ResearchInstitute of Primate Research | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Social sciences and humanities | Social Psychology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Parasitology | 1958 |
| KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeKEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme | Kilifi, Kenya | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Genetics, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health | |
| Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research OrganizationKenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Agriculture and food | General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Plant Science, Soil Science | |
| Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteKenya Agricultural Research Institute | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Agriculture and food | Parasitology, Soil Science, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 1988 |
| Kenya AIDS Vaccine InitiativeKenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Infectious Diseases, Virology, Epidemiology | |
| Kenya Forestry Research InstituteKenya Forestry Research Institute | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Environment and climate | Forestry, Global and Planetary Change, Nature and Landscape Conservation | 1986 |
| Kenya Industrial Research and Development InstituteKenya Industrial Research and Development Institute | Nairobi, Kenya | Research institute Agriculture and food | Plant Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Science | 1979 |
| Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research InstituteKenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute | Mombasa, Kenya | Research institute Environment and climate | Ecology, Global and Planetary Change, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 1979 |
| Mpala Research Center and Wildlife FoundationMpala Research Center and Wildlife Foundation | Nanyuki, Kenya | Research institute Environment and climate | Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics | 1952 |
R&D ecosystems in Kenya
Organisations with labs in Kenya
Other countries in Africa
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Chad
- Côte d'Ivoire
- DR Congo
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Questions and answers
How many R&D labs are there in Kenya?
The 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory lists 30 active R&D labs in Kenya as of October 2026: 14 research institutes, 7 government, 4 intergovernmental, 2 corporate, 2 university and 1 military.
Which organisations run the most R&D labs in Kenya?
In this directory the organisations with the most labs in Kenya are CGIAR, ICIPE and African Academy of Sciences.
Where are R&D labs concentrated in Kenya?
They cluster around Nairobi, Mombasa and Juja. The largest R&D ecosystem is Nairobi.
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