ENTEBBE, UGANDA: The East African Community is set to officially launch the Uganda Virus Research Institute as the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence in Virology on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
The launch, to be held at UVRI headquarters in Entebbe, marks a major step towards strengthening East Africa’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to pandemics and other public health emergencies.
As a regional centre, UVRI will support enhanced disease surveillance, virus research, genomic monitoring, laboratory diagnosis and coordinated responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases across EAC Partner States.
The official commissioning will take place during UVRI’s main celebrations marking 90 years of scientific research and contribution to public health in Uganda and beyond. The institute confirmed that the regional centre would be formally launched on July 22 at its Entebbe campus.
UVRI’s elevation recognises its decades-long contribution to global virology research and its role in responding to outbreaks including Ebola, COVID-19, Marburg and other viral diseases.
The centre is expected to promote regional scientific collaboration, strengthen laboratory networks and improve the EAC’s readiness to manage future disease outbreaks.
