- Conduct research in diseases of public health importance in the Region.
- Develop and evaluate tools, technologies and strategies for the prevention and control of diseases and related conditions.
- Collect and disseminate scientific information including the publication of scientific reports, journals and other such documents and literature relating to the work of the Centre.
- Serve as a Regional Research and Training Center in Africa.
- Strengthen research and product development in malaria through design and mplementation of epidemiological studies aimed at understanding better the burden of malaria including its socio-economic impact
- To evaluate new tools including candidate vaccines for prevention and control of malaria.
- To develop new ways of utilizing current and new drugs, traditional medicines and technologies for malaria prevention and control.
- To strengthen the technical capacity of the Center to conduct research and product development activities that will contribute to national, regional and global prevention and control of HIV infection.
- Development and evaluation of new methods of utilizing current and new drugs, traditional remedies, vaccines, technologies and tools for HIV/AIDS and STI prevention and control.
- Build capacity for detection of drug resistant tuberculosis, validation of molecular techniques for detection and surveillance of drug resistant strains, and devise ways of utilizing current and new drugs and strategies for prevention and control of TB.
- Develop capacity for conducting priority research in micronutrients aimed at creating a national database, improving current public health interventions, and assessment of impact of interventions.
- Provide epidemiological data necessary for defining the place of schistosomiasis on the national health agenda, and to formulate a national strategy for control.
- To strengthen and sustain proven ways of trypanosomiasis transmission reduction, early detection and treatment of cases in order to expand tsetse fly free areas and hence enable socio-economic development.
- To establish a sentinel surveillance system, develop and evaluate existing and new tools, technologies and strategies for the prevention and control of diarrheal disease.
With the expanded research mandate, the Centre embracing research on all health problems of national importance. Thus, the institution conducts research in diseases of public health importance, which include malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, diarrhoea diseases, schistosomiasis, Human African Trypanosomiasis, micronutrient deficiency diseases and sexually transmitted diseases.
Most of the funding for research is received from external funding agencies and this has made the Centre vulnerable to externally driven research. Some notable funders to the institution are WHO, UNAIDS, Sight and Life, SIDA, ITM, CIHD, CIDA, USAID, CDC and Population Council. The Government does give monthly grants to TDRC mainly for operational costs. However, this funding has not been adequate to meet the capacity needed for the institution to carry out the research mandate. Therefore, the Centre will seek to source funding from relevant international research and development funding agencies through grant applications for medium to long term programmes.