Kintampo Health Research Center

What Kintampo Health Research Center does

Kintampo Health Research Center (KHRC) is a Ghanaian government health research institution established in 1994 and operated under the Ghana Health Service, headquartered in Kintampo, Bono East Region. It functions as a field-site and coordinating center for clinical trials, vaccine evaluation, epidemiological surveillance, and environmental and maternal-health research, anchored on the Kintampo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) which longitudinally tracks 540,000+ people across seven districts. The institution has completed more than 230 research projects and published 3,260+ papers, employing 251–500 staff including 60+ scientific personnel.

KHRC's portfolio spans malaria vaccine pilot evaluation (MVPE-CC, including cross-country work in Kenya and Malawi), clean-cookstove and household air-pollution studies (GRAPHS), maternal and newborn health (PRISMA), brain-health and dementia research, and digital health tools including the GasPay clean-energy platform and machine-learning models predicting childhood vaccination defaulters. Technical capabilities are reinforced by a laboratory certified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (June 2025) and a Clinical Trial Facility of the Year award in 2025, with new environmental measurement capacity added via Ghana's first GRIMM 180+ air monitor in 2025. Research and operations are supported by Ghana Health Service institutional affiliation and a 2025 GHS-Council-approved university affiliation with the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR).

KHRC's business model is grant-funded research rather than commercial product sales. Revenue is sourced from a concentrated set of international donors and partners — EDCTP, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GSK, the World Health Organization, and Columbia University — through competitive research awards and consortium participation. The MVPE-CC EDCTP grant alone is EUR 3.21M. Customer/funder concentration is therefore high, and revenue predictability is exposed to global-health funding cycles, mitigated only partly by multi-donor diversification and the structural backing of Ghana Health Service.

Name

Kintampo Health Research Center

Legal name

Kintampo Health Research Centre

Website

https://kintampo-hrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kintampo Health Research Center (KHRC) is a Ghana Health Service–affiliated research institute in Bono East Region conducting clinical trials, vaccine evaluation, demographic surveillance over 540,000+ people, and environmental and maternal-health research, funded primarily by international health donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Research Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Point-of-Care & Decentralized Trial Testing Services (HLAGAEAK), Health Systems Strengthening & Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Partnerships (HLAJAOAL), Environmental Public Health Laboratories (Water/Air/Soil) (HLAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Clinical trial services
• Health research services
• Vaccine evaluation studies
• Epidemiological surveillance
• Maternal child health research

Headquarters

HQ city

Kintampo

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: KHRC operates as a research institution funded primarily through grants from international donors, foundations, government health agencies, and academic collaborations. Funding comes from organizations such as EDCTP, WHO, NIH, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Columbia University, and Ghana Health Service.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KHRC is a government-affiliated health research institution that conducts clinical trials, epidemiological surveillance, vaccine evaluation, and environmental and maternal health research. It operates the Kintampo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) covering 540,000+ residents and provides a CDC-certified clinical laboratory for clinical trial execution. Its research outputs include multi-country studies on malaria vaccines, air pollution, maternal health, and hypertension, funded largely through international grants.

Product overview

Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) operates as a health research institution conducting multiple interconnected research programs rather than a traditional product company. The core offerings include population health surveillance through the KHDSS system, vaccine evaluation studies (MVPE-CC for RTS,S malaria vaccine), maternal and child health research (PRISMA, ReMAPP, Probiotics study), environmental health studies (GRAPHS, Air Pollution monitoring), disease prevention research (hypertension, vaccination default prediction), and digital health interventions (GasPay app). These research programs often share infrastructure including the demographic surveillance system, laboratory facilities, and community engagement networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MVPE-CC: Malaria Vaccine Pilot Evaluation Case-Control - a collaborative project funded by EDCTP evaluating RTS,S malaria vaccine safety and effectiveness through case-control studies
• GRAPHS
• PRISMA

Products and services

• Kintampo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) A demographic surveillance system tracking population health data for 540,000+ residents across six administrative regions in the Bono East Region, serving as a sampling frame for clinical trials and providing baseline information for research activities.
• Ghana Randomized Air Pollution and Health Study (GRAPHS) A cluster-randomized controlled trial testing whether clean cookstoves (LPG, improved biomass) reduce harmful health effects from household air pollution on pregnant women and infants.
• Malaria Vaccine Pilot Evaluation-Case Control (MVPE-CC) A multi-country case-control study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine, including the incremental benefit of the fourth dose, across Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
• Pregnancy Risk Stratification Innovation and Measurement Alliance (PRISMA) A multi-country longitudinal study of maternal and newborn health examining pregnancy risk factors and their associations with adverse outcomes including stillbirth, neonatal mortality, and maternal mortality.
• Task-Shifting Strategy for Hypertension Control (TASSH) A study evaluating task-shifting approaches for blood pressure control within community health planning services in Ghana, screening over 13,000 people and training 300 community health workers.
• Probiotics in Pregnancy Study A double-blind randomized controlled trial evaluating whether probiotic supplements taken during pregnancy can colonize the gut microbiome of infants and reduce infection risks.
• Redefining Anaemia: ReMAPP Study A multicenter international study to establish and validate global reference values for anaemia in pregnancy, part of the PRISMA network.
• Child Lung Function and Cardiovascular Health Study A longitudinal study investigating how early-life exposure to air pollution impacts cardiovascular health of children from birth through age 12.
• Maternal Immunization Readiness Network (MIRNA) A consortium study preparing for new maternal vaccines (GBS, RSV) through readiness assessment across African and Asian countries.
• ABACUS II A study assessing how identification of oral antibiotics impacts appropriate community antibiotic use in low and middle income countries.
• GasPay Study A digital platform study using a mobile application to increase access to LPG in underserved communities and reduce household air pollution, bringing cleaner cooking to over 3,950 households.
• Clinical Trial Facility Services Clinical trial execution services supported by a U.S. CDC-certified medical laboratory with class II biosafety cabinet, CO2 incubator, BACTEC machines for blood cultures, and autoclave, with international quality assurance systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 8 deaths in young children averted through RTS,S malaria vaccine
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• European Vaccine Initiative (EVI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEVI is a not-for-profit Product Development Partnership supporting development of vaccines for global health. EVI collaborates with KHRC on malaria vaccine evaluation including MVPE-CC project, supporting vaccine development through coordination and expertise.
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSHTM is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health. Provides vaccine evaluation expertise, design, conduct and analysis of case-control studies, data management and statistical support for MVPE-CC.
• Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEMRI is a state corporation improving human health through research. KEMRI-CGHR in Kisumu conducts ground-breaking research on malaria and infectious diseases, providing complementary surveillance capabilities for multi-country MVPE-CC studies.
• PATHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPATH is a global non-profit accelerating health equity through partnerships. PATH's Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access advances vaccine development and supports pilot introductions of malaria vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa.
• University of Malawi College of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe only medical college in Malawi training health workers and generating research data for policy. Leading research consortium on MVPE in eleven districts across Malawi with comprehensive facilities.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO coordinates the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) and provides technical guidance on vaccine evaluation. KHRC serves as coordinating institution for WHO-coordinated malaria vaccine pilot evaluation in Ghana.
• Columbia University Mailman School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner in environmental health research including GRAPHS cookstove studies, GasPay mobile app development, and cardiovascular health studies. Provides research methodology and technical expertise.
• George Washington UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on PRISMA maternal health study and ReMAPP anemia research, contributing expertise in maternal and newborn health outcomes research.
• University of the WitwatersrandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates the MIRNA maternal immunization network involving countries across Africa and Asia, ensuring unified approach to MI platform strengthening.
• University of California Santa BarbaramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on clean energy and climate change research including electricity use studies and behavioral economics interventions for household energy adoption.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on GRAPHS studies, child lung function and cardiovascular health research, contributing expertise in environmental health and clinical medicine.
• Sanofi Pasteur Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped COVID-19 vaccines; KHRC conducted Phase III trial of SARS-CoV-2 adjuvanted recombinant protein vaccines for prevention against COVID-19.
• GlaxosmithKline Biologicals SAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSK developed RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine; KHRC conducts EPI-MAL-003 post-implementation safety study and Phase IV evaluation of the vaccine.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PATH: Global non-profit with a Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access that partners with KHRC on malaria vaccine introductions. Comparable in vaccine introduction mission but operates globally at much greater scale and with broader portfolio.
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH): Larger, established Swiss-based tropical medicine and public health institute with broad LMIC research portfolio including HDSS and vaccine trials. Comparable in scientific scope but operates at greater scale and from a high-income headquarters.

Direct peers

• Ifakara Health Institute: Tanzania-based health research institute operating HDSS sites (Kilombero and Ulanga) and conducting malaria, maternal health, and vaccine trials. Highly comparable in mission, infrastructure model, and African-population focus.
• Navrongo Health Research Centre: Ghanaian sister research centre under the Ghana Health Service RDD with a comparable HDSS platform and similar malaria/maternal health trial portfolio. The closest domestic peer with nearly identical governance structure and funding ecosystem.
• Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI): KEMRI, particularly its CGHR unit in Kisumu, is a fellow African state-affiliated health research institute conducting malaria vaccine trials, demographic surveillance, and infectious disease research. It is a direct peer in the MVPE-CC multi-country consortium and shares comparable infrastructure, funding sources, and research mission.
• Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research: University of Ghana-based biomedical research institute also operating in Ghana with comparable vaccine trial, infectious disease, and lab capabilities. A close domestic peer in the Ghanaian research ecosystem.
• ICDDR,B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh): Long-established LMIC research centre operating HDSS, clinical trials, and global health research funded by Gates/NIH/WHO. Directly comparable in size, HDSS-based model, and global health trial leadership.
• Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ): African infectious disease research organization conducting clinical trials, HIV/TB/maternal health research, and implementation science. Comparable in trial execution capability and African-population focus.
• MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM: Long-established African research center within LSHTM running HDSS, vaccine trials, and epidemiological research. Comparable in scope, institutional pedigree, and global health funding mix to KHRC.

Others

• INDEPTH Network: International network of HDSS sites including KHRC's KHDSS. Not a direct competitor but an enabling/ecosystem organization that KHRC participates in and which sets shared methodological standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kintampohrc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvvUYKnKdrY8C8Zy4EMJvHw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Kintampohrc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kintampo-health-research-centre-khrc

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 Kintampo Health Research Center