Kenya Industrial Research Institute (KIRDI) is a national research institute established in 1979 under the Ministry of Trade and Industry and mandated to undertake multidisciplinary research and development in industrial and allied technologies. The institute’s core objectives are handled by the R&D and Technology Transfer departments. The major R&D departments are: Engineering, Energy and Environment, ICT, Leather and Textiles, and Food Technology Divisions. KIRDI has developed over 40 technologies in these fields.

To facilitate the SMEs’ vertical growth, entry into new markets and promotion of new value added products, KIRDI offers consultancy and capacity building in prototype development, reverse engineering, common manufacturing facilities and business incubation. A case in point is the 4K MSE Initiative, a joint project with three other government institutions involved in standardization, industrial property and the informal sector, aimed at building capacity and upgrading 50 technologies produced by SMEs to be market driven. In the last 10 years, KIRDI has supported over 2,000 SMEs to develop various value addition technologies. Some of these enterprises have become major employers in Kenya. KIRDI works closely with UNIDO, DANIDA, JICA and other international development partners.