Chinese Government funds China-Kenya Joint Laboratory for Crop Molecular Biology at Egerton University in Kenya

Project narrative

On May 12, 2014, the Kenyan Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology signed an MoU to establish the China-Kenya Joint Laboratory for Crop Molecular Biology. This joint laboratory based at Egerton University (at Njoro, in Nakuru County) is estimated to cost Sh5.1 billion. The Laboratory is funded by the Chinese government and was constructed by Nanjing Agricultural University and Egerton University. The lab was opened on October 14, 2016. The laboratory is meant to help enhance the genetic improvement in horticultural crops and other crops in Kenya at the molecular level. The laboratory aims to train researchers in modern molecular biology theories and technologies and carry out collaborative research on crop gene resource discovery, functional gene cloning, and biotechnology breeding.