International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

icddr,b is an international research institution committed to solving public health problems and key global health challenges through innovative scientific research. Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, icddr,b is one of the world’s leading global health research institutes. Established in the 1960s as the South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) Cholera Research Laboratory (CRL), the institution soon developed an international reputation in diarrheal disease research, with the notable early achievement in development, testing and implementation of oral rehydration solution (ORS) – a treatment estimated to have saved tens of millions of lives worldwide. In 1978, the CRL received a new name- the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, which at present is known as icddr,b. With an aim to improve the health of people living in the world’s poorest nations, for more than 50 years, the institution has been carrying out high-quality research. Though the initial focus was on diarrheal disease, the institution now studies multiple infectious diseases, public health threats as well as methods of healthcare delivery. The work of icddr,b has had a profound impact on health policy and practice both locally and globally- and this remains the institution’s key objective for the future.