The purpose of the IDI Research Programme is to investigate the best ways to prevent and treat infections, and to generate outstanding internationally recognized scholarship on HIV, TB and other infectious diseases. IDI research begins with IDI’s Friends, and is focused on HIV, tuberculosis, and other conditions that disproportionately affect health in sub-Saharan Africa. The research programme consists of the following key areas:

•  Research training and capacity building, through the development of a research faculty of promising young investigators, is a cornerstone of the IDI Research Programme. The goal of the Sewankambo Clinical Scholars Programme is to develop independent clinical investigators over an intensive five-year period. IDI currently has four scholars in the programme. Through other programmes there are 16 PhD candidates and over 20 master’s students.
• Clinical and epidemiological research is focused on databases from the IDI clinic population with a nested research cohort, as well as the Kampala City Council Clinics and the recently initiated Kibaale and Kiboga District HIV care and prevention projects.
• Operational research develops best practices and models that can be exported to other facilities in Kampala and Uganda; and builds clinical platforms for clinical trials. 
• Translational Lab-based research supports established clinical research at IDI.
  Research at IDI is conducted by teams of outstanding investigators from around the world, funded by leading research agencies, and bolstered by state-of-the-art data management capabilities and an American College of Pathology-certified laboratory.