Biomedical Research Foundation

What Biomedical Research Foundation does

Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF) is an independent non-profit research organization founded in November 2016 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Executive Director Dr. Mohammad Sorowar Hossain alongside an entrepreneur and senior scientists. BRF operates as a collaborative research platform rather than a commercial entity, focused on biomedical and public health research spanning thalassemia, dengue, COVID-19, cancer immunotherapy, mental health, and childhood movement behaviors. Its primary beneficiaries are aspiring young researchers in Bangladesh, thalassemia patients and families (3,200+ registered through the BTSH partnership), and academic/clinical collaborators; BRF also serves as a bridging platform between local Bangladeshi scientists and the expatriate scientific community.

BRF's core technology stack is built around a self-hosted REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) instance at redcap.brfbd.org, which provides secure web-based database and survey management with automated export procedures to SPSS, SAS, Stata, R, and Excel, branching logic, and API integration for data exchange. The foundation supplements this with KoboToolbox and SurveyCTO for field data collection, and its research team uses R, SAS, and Python/PySpark for statistical and machine learning analytics on healthcare data. BRF also operates an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for ethical oversight of human-subjects research, and runs a community-based research platform in Jamalpur district that engages senior citizens, teachers, and religious leaders as field resources.

BRF generates revenue primarily through an annual membership program priced at 12,000 BDT (~$100 USD) per member, with flexible payment plans (3, 6, or 12 months) and additional income from a semi-supervised research training course required for Research Intern positions. The foundation does not disclose total revenue, has no recorded funding rounds, and operates without traditional equity ownership under board governance. Its commercial-style products are limited to membership subscriptions and paid training; research outputs are disseminated through peer-reviewed publications (including The Lancet and JAMA Pediatrics), media appearances, and direct community health interventions rather than through licensing or fee-for-service models.

Name

Biomedical Research Foundation

Legal name

Biomedical Research Foundation

Website

https://brfbd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Biomedical Research Foundation is a Bangladesh-based non-profit research organization that runs a collaborative biomedical and public health research platform, serving young researchers, thalassemia patients (3,200+), and academic collaborators through REDCap-based data infrastructure, IRB services, and community-based research in Jamalpur.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Research Ethics & Human Subjects Protection Authorities (IRB/REC Oversight) (HLAJACAG), Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

Keywords

• Biomedical research services
• Public health research
• Clinical research training
• Community health studies
• Research data management

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF) is an independent non-profit research organization based in Bangladesh that conducts biomedical and public health research, including outbreak investigations, thalassemia studies, and community-based health research. It provides a collaborative research platform with REDCap-based data management infrastructure, Institutional Review Board (IRB) ethical review services, researcher training programs, and a community-based research center in Jamalpur district.

Product overview

Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF) is an independent non-profit research organization based in Bangladesh that provides a collaborative research platform rather than commercial products. The organization's main offerings include: REDCap-based data management infrastructure for research databases; Institutional Review Board (IRB) ethical review services for human subjects research; membership and youth club programs for researcher engagement and capacity building; and community-based research centers focused on thalassemia, childhood development, and public health surveillance. BRF's core activities center on biomedical and public health research spanning emerging diseases, thalassemia, cancer, mental health, and environmental health, with significant output in peer-reviewed publications. The organization does not offer commercial software products but provides research services, training programs, and collaborative research infrastructure to the scientific community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Published 140+ research papers in reputable international journals (2017-2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SUNRISE Study (International Study of Movement Behaviours in the Early Years)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBRF is representing Bangladesh in this multinational collaborative research initiative involving 66 countries. BRF's scientist serves as Chief Investigator for Bangladesh. The study focuses on 24-hour movement behaviors in early childhood.
• Jamalpur Diabetic Association HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal research partner in Jamalpur district for community-based health research and disease management programs.
• Bangladesh Thalassemia Samity Hospital (BTSH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with hospital dedicated to thalassemia, supporting 3,200+ registered patients from all over Bangladesh. Collaborates on thalassemia prevention, treatment, and registry management.
• Tony Okely, University of Wollongong, AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistinguished Professor Tony Okely from University of Wollongong collaborating on the SUNRISE study. Expert in child movement behaviors and public health research.
• Khondaker Miraz Rahman, King's College London, UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor in Medicinal Chemistry at King's College London collaborating with BRF. Focuses on drug discovery and cancer research.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: Largest Bangladesh-based development non-profit with a substantial health research and community-program arm. It operates at much greater scale and breadth but shares BRF's community-first, Bangladesh-anchored model.
• PATH: Global non-profit focused on health equity with deep presence in LMICs, including Bangladesh. Broader portfolio than BRF but overlapping mission in community health, data systems, and public-health research.

Direct peers

• George Institute for Global Health: Independent global medical research institute producing high-impact publications and running multi-country studies on NCDs and injury. Direct peer: independent non-profit, publication-driven, multinational collaborator model.
• Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA): Independent non-profit biomedical research centre in an emerging market that runs high-impact, publication-grade trials in infectious disease. Closely matches BRF's research-foundation structure, output orientation, and global-collaboration strategy.
• International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB): Intergovernmental biotech research organization with capacity-building mandates across developing countries. Peer in mission to translate biomedical research capacity in emerging markets and to train scientific talent.
• icddr,b: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh-an independent, Bangladesh-based non-profit biomedical research centre. Both organizations are independent Bangladeshi research foundations producing peer-reviewed publications on public health priorities.

Regional players

• Aga Khan University: South Asia-based private university with medical and public-health research output across Pakistan and East Africa. Comparable as a regionally anchored, research-driven health institution, though operating at greater scale.
• Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU): Bangladesh's premier postgraduate medical university with strong public-health and clinical research output. Comparable as a Bangladesh-anchored biomedical research institution with overlapping researcher networks (e.g., BSMMU alumni on BRF team).
• Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI): India-based public biomedical research institute under the Department of Biotechnology. Regional comparable: mission-aligned life-sciences and public-health research in South Asia; differs in being government-funded and university-adjacent.

Others

• Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB): Bangladesh private university where BRF's Executive Director is Associate Professor and which has awarded BRF-affiliated researchers recognition. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtLjl-Q2RF0PZSJWLsEfccg
• Facebookfacebook.com/BiomedicalResearchFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biomedical-research-foundation-bangladesh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Biomedical Research Foundation