UIRI’s Chemistry Laboratory is one of the country’s best-equipped laboratories providing unrivalled testing facilities to food scientists, researchers, exporters, manufacturers, pharmacists, and the general public.

The Chemistry Laboratory’s goals are

• Support research and innovation within the institute by availing testing services
• Offer high-quality product development and material analytical services to the private sector
• Characterize Uganda’s indigenous food products and develop high-value industrial products from them.
• Develop technology briefs for common chemical products
• Support product and technology development studies by private sector actors in food, mineral, and pharmaceutical industries.

UIRI’s Public Test House

This facility concedes to the internationally recognized concept of a non-regulatory Public Test House, requiring the ability to test products against agreed specifications and to produce an authoritative test certificate in confidence.

At the test house, users can obtain the following services:

• World-class analytical facilities that can enable them to innovate and meet regulatory requirements.
• Comprehensive consignment testing against order specifications, external production control, natural resource characterization, product development, and information generation for product labeling and branding.

Supporting government and regional development research programmes

The chemistry laboratory identifies and participates in regional and national development initiatives. Below are examples of projects in which UIRI participated:

• The National Micronutrients Programme

  This programme is aimed at solving micronutrient malnutrition which is a major public health problem that the Ugandan government and other development partners are trying to combat. One of the key measures being considered is food fortification where industry has been asked to add vitamins and minerals to staple foods as a measure to redress micronutrient malnutrition. The UIRI chemistry laboratory has been one of the key supporters of food fortification providing industry with training and testing services.

• The Health Community of the East Central and Southern Africa (ESCA) Laboratory Network

  The health community for the ECSA is a supra national organization based in Arusha, Tanzania, which is involved in a wide range of health related activities. It works through national ministries of health and other key players. Through funding and expertise from the USAID A2Z programme, the Community is working with UIRI to improve micronutrients testing standards within East Central and Southern Africa. UIRI’s Chemistry Laboratories, together with the ECSA Secretariat, is implementing activities aimed at improving laboratories in the region.

• Training and capacity development

  UIRI’s chemistry laboratory aims at increasing its capability to carry out more sophisticated and larger volume of scientific work through

  • Repair and upgrading of equipment
  • Implementation of systems and processes
  • Training and human capacity development