The Gobabeb Training and Research Centre is a joint venture between the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) and the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET). In 1998 the Centre became a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Centre of Excellence.

The centre concentrated in the past on research of desert environments and arid lands ecology. A main focus was laid on the understanding of the interactions between arid zone ecology and human activities. The Centre has been one of Southern Africa's foremost centres of arid lands research.