FPD Research Unit | The Foundation for Professional Development

The FPD Research Unit was established in 2014 in Pretoria, South Africa, following various successful investigator-driven research projects. Over the years, the unit has grown substantially and currently employs over 50 staff. For strategic reasons, leveraging the existing relationship with the Department of Health and other stakeholders, the Research Unit moved its offices to East London in the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) of the Eastern Cape in 2019. FPD-managed research infrastructure was subsequently established within healthcare facilities across the district, and the Ndevana Clinical Research Site (CRS) for clinical trials was officially opened in 2021 in the rural Ndevana community.

The Research Unit conducts diverse research in the fields of HIV treatment and prevention, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), tuberculosis (TB), antimicrobial resistance, and mental health. This research is funded by national and international donors and conducted by an ex-perienced and qualified team of investigators, doctors, nurses, laboratory technologists, pharmacists, clinical research workers, quantitative and qualitative data experts, and field workers. We have expertise in clinical trials, epidemiological research, qualitative evaluations, and implementation science.