The Sudan Research Unit was established as an inter-disciplinary unit in the Faculty of Arts of the University of Khartoum in July 1964. Its objectives were specified broadly as the promotion of research in the human and social sciences concerning the Sudan, assisting research on projects which need co-ordination of different disciplines, training research workers, and sponsoring publication reports on their progress and results. The Sudan Research Unit also maintains contact with other centres of Sudanese studies and with centres of African studies in general. It is not at present giving any Sudanese courses, although it plans to do so in future. The Unit now organises a fortnightly postgraduate seminar on African studies, dealing with subjects of general interest.