• Web : https://www.cea.fr/english

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas: defence and security, low carbon energies (nuclear and renewable energies), technological research for industry, fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences. Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners. The CEA is established in nine centers spread throughout France. It works in partnership with many other research bodies, local authorities and universities. Within this context, the CEA is a stakeholder in a series of national alliances set up to coordinate French research in energy (ANCRE), life sciences and health (AVIESAN), digital science and technology (ALLISTENE), environmental sciences (AllEnvi) and human and social sciences (ATHENA). Widely acknowledged as an expert in its areas of skill, the CEA is actively involved in the European Research Area and its international presence is constantly growing. The CEA is the only French research organization to be listed in the Clarivate 2020 ranking and is the leading French research organization filing patents in Europe, according to the European Patent Office (EPO) 2021 ranking.

• Web : www.pasteur-yaounde.org

The Pasteur Center of Cameroon (CPC) is a technical body of Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, a hospital institution with financial autonomy and legal personality. It was established in 1959 in Yaounde; it has had an annex in Garoua (CPCAG) since 1985, and since 2004 it has had an office in Douala.

The CPC is a member of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes (RIIP). Center Pasteur contributes to the fight against disease and the promotion of health through the care of Cameroonian patients and the prevention of international health risks through the surveillance of endemic and epidemic diseases, scientific research and the training of health personnel.

Thus, this mission is divided into 3 strategic areas:

• • To make available to the maximum number of Cameroonian patients and customers an offer in medical biology and in Hygiene and Environment at the lowest possible price; hence our slogan: “Excellence in biology accessible to all”.

• • To contribute to the fight against infectious diseases in Central Africa through biological and epidemiological surveillance activities,

• • To establish national recognition and make the CPC an internationally recognized Scientific Research Institute.

Research Programs: HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Poliomyelitis, Human Influenza, Arbovirus, Tuberculosis, Buruli ulcer, Other programs…

• Web : http://www.cnrs.fr/en
  http://www.crcl.fr/

The Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL, UMR Inserm 1052 CNRS 5286 – Center Léon Bérard) is a research structure affiliated with the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, the national health and research bodies (Inserm and CNRS), the Léon Bérard Comprehensive Cancer Center (CLB) and with the Lyon University Hospitals (HCL) as clinical partners. The CRCL was officially created in January 2011 and its contract was recently renewed for the 2020-2026 period. It comprises 24 teams, totalling about 500 members, including 150 researchers and lecturers. The CRCL aims at increasing its international visibility and the attractiveness of the Lyon cancer research cluster, at facilitating the transfer of knowledge from fundamental cancer research to clinical applications in oncology, and at developing teaching and training in oncology.

One of the main goals of the CRCL is to support the development of strong translational research to enable patients to rapidly benefit from breakthroughs in basic research. This bridge from “bench to bedside” was rendered possible due to the strong collaboration between clinicians and pathologists of the CLB and HCL and scientific teams of the CRCL, creating a continuity between basic research and clinical applications.

• Web : http://www.ens-lyon.fr/en/
  https://ciri.ens-lyon.fr/

The Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CIRI) is a joint research unit created in 2013 by Lyon 1 University, Inserm, CNRS and the ENS Lyon in partnership with VetAgro Sup, the Institut Pasteur and the Hospices Civils de Lyon. The CIRI gathers the scientific and medical research communities with complementary disciplinary backgrounds grouped in 3 specialties working together with the objective to understand host-microbe interactions to better fight infectious diseases.

Through a multidisciplinary approach combining microbiology (bacteriology and virology), immunology, cell biology, clinical research and epidemiology, plus a strong interface with the industry, the CIRI intends to be a research Centre opened to therapeutic innovation and to act a major player in the areas of medical prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

The CIRI is meant to implement an essential further step of the development of the research in Infectiology in Lyon through a highly structured co-operation between academic and clinical research communities, on the Charles Mérieux campus. It will play a pivotal role by structuring the interactions between academic and private research, and by promoting socio-economic opportunities through strong partnerships with operators involved in the innovation or pre-industrial development, including the Lyon Biopôle and the IRT BioAster. The CIRI will thus constitute a strong interface with industry, with increased collaborations with key actors in the domain of human and animal health on the Lyon area and optimal potential for valorization of results.

The CIRI currently includes nearly 300 researchers, faculty members, graduate students, engineers and technicians in ca. twenty teams that have been enrolled because of their strong expertise in key basic disciplines for the study of infectious diseases (i.e., microbiology, immunology and cell biology) and also of their capacity or specific interest to translate novel knowledge, of scientific or technological nature, in translational research programs and applied research.

• Web : http://www.germanstrias.org/

The Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) is a public research centre in the Autonomous region of Catalonia in Northern Spain dedicated to increasing scientific knowledge and transferring it to improve the care and lives of patients.

The institute is attached to one of the large teaching hospitals in the Barcelona area, the Germans Trias University Hospital (HUGTP), and is located on the biomedical campus that surrounds it, Campus Can Ruti. It is a CERCA centre, a member of the biocluster supported and supervised by the Autonomous Catalonian Government. It is also accredited as a Centre of Excellence by the Instituto Carlos III (Spanish Government) and in this capacity acts as an umbrella organization for scientific research on the campus, where it works closely with the other centres.

The mission of the IGTP is to create a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional environment that opens the gates to highly efficient translational research with a view to improving people’s heath and quality of life.

The Germans Trias Institute carries out research within 9 areas:

• • Science of Behaviour and Substance Abuse
• • Immunology and Inflammation
• • Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases
• • Infectious Diseases
• • Endocrine and Diseases of the Metabolism, Bones and Kidneys
• • Diseases of the Liver and Digestive Tract
• • Cancer
• • Neuroscience
• • Community Health

Scientists working in these areas publish an average of over 500 papers a year, contribute to improved treatment and healthcare protocols, produce patents and set up spin-off companies in order to improve the lives of patients.

• Web : https://www.inserm.fr/en
  http://www.chu-st-etienne.fr/Professionnels/Recherche/Presentation_DRCI/Pro_CIC_EC.asp
  https://www.ciil.fr/

The CIC-EC of Saint-Etienne was created in February 2003. The CIC is a structure accredited by INSERM. The major assignments entrusted were to develop the methodological aid and IT support to multicentric clinical trials and clinical epidemiological research taking on all or part of this research work. The CIC-EC was therefore aimed at clinical research development particularly within labelled teams of the CHU of Saint-Etienne. In 2008, the CIC-EC has been expanded to new fields of clinical research as cancer and vaccinology. The CIC-EC Vaccinology has been developed by the Pr. F. Lucht (medical doctor in infectious diseases) and the Dr. S. Paul (immunologist and expert in vaccinology). In 2009, the CIC-EC Vaccinology has been labelled by ANRS (French network for HIV vaccine research) and REIVAC (French network of clinical investigators in Vaccinology). The CIC has participated in more than 20 clinical trials in the field of vaccine development both with academic labs and companies. The expertise of the CIC-EC Vaccinology renamed as CIC1408 in 2013 is the evaluation of mucosal vaccines. In 2014, the REIVAC network has been labelled by the F-Crin network to develop excellence in the field of Vaccinology in Europe.

The CIC manages trials accepted by its technical committee, and primarily in line with the research areas defined by its steering committee:

• • A vascular and hemostasis theme including an antithrombotic and vascular diseases axis, a hemophilia – hemostasis axis and a neurovascular axis,

• • An immunology theme comprising a vaccinology axis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) axis and an inflammatory joint pathology axis,

• • A prevention theme including a prevention axis in oncology and a prevention and control of infections axis,

• • A general medicine theme.

• Web : https://en.butantan.gov.br/institute.php

With 121 years of history, Butantan works to prevent deseases like Covid-19, flu, tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, chikungunya, whooping cough, dengue, HPV and rabies. In 2021, Butantan produced:

• • 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine

• • 80 million doses of flu vaccine

• • 28 million doses of vaccines Against hepatitis A and B, HPV, DTaP and rabies

• • 560 thousand units of serum against venoms, bacterial toxins and the rabies virus

Instituto Butantan is the main producer of immunobiologicals in Brazil. It is responsible for a considerable percentage of the national production of hyperimmune sera and vaccine antigens, which make up the vaccines used in the National Immunization Program (Programa Nacional de Imunizações, PNI) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Our technological development activities in the production of health inputs are associated with the production of vaccines, antitoxins and antivenoms, and biopharmaceuticals for human use.

• Web : https://www.ivi.int/

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit International Organization established in 1997 as an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). We are among the few organizations in the world dedicated to vaccines and vaccination for global health.

Our mission is to Discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global public health. IVI is headquartered in Seoul and hosted by the Republic of Korea with 39-member countries and the WHO on its treaty.

IVI focuses on vaccines against infectious diseases affecting the World’s most impoverished. We aim to make vaccines available and accessible for vulnerable populations in developing countries. We live in an increasingly globalized world where new and emerging infectious diseases can become global health threats. IVI also focuses on vaccines against infectious diseases of major global health concern.

• Web : https://bf.linkedin.com/company/irss-bf

Founded in 1997, the Institute of Research in Health Sciences (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la santé – IRSS) is one of the 4 specialized units of the National Center of Scientific and Technologic Research. The missions of the IRSS are to:

• • • Conduct research that can provide solutions to priority health problems
  • • To coordinate research in the health sector in Burkina
  • • To valorize and disseminate the results of the research.

Research programs are focused on the following themes:

• • infectious and parasitic diseases;
• • health policies and systems;
• • maternal and child health;
• • nutrition;
• • traditional pharmacopoeia and medicinal plants;
• • traditional medicine and ethnomedicine;
• • drugs;
• • pesticides, chemicals and health.

• Web : https://ki.se/en

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Our vision is to advance knowledge about life and strive towards better health for all. Karolinska Institutet accounts for the single largest share of all academic medical research conducted in Sweden and offers the country’s broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet selects the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.

Karolinska Institutet was founded by King Karl XIII in 1810 as an “academy for the training of skilled army surgeons”. Today, Karolinska Institutet is a modern medical university and one of the foremost in the world.

With our close relationship to the clinical milieu, a well-established infrastructure and a stable financial situation, Karolinska Institutet has excellent prerequisites for sustaining high quality research and education.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) offers a wide range of programmes and courses in medicine and healthcare to meet society’s need for skills in the field. This enables us to conduct high-quality, relevant interprofessional education and training, through which students from different programmes learn with, from and about each other in the interests of effective collaboration as students and, later, as healthcare professionals.

Karolinska Institutet conducts research and education on two campuses (Solna and Flemingsberg) and at a number of the county’s hospitals.

There are some 6,500 FTE students on KI’s programmes and courses. The teachers often conduct research alongside their educational duties, giving their students access to the latest knowledge in the entire field of medicine. Students, teachers and researchers together constitute an interesting and stimulating academic environment.

Many of KI’s programmes include placements that offer real-world clinical practice and education.

KI is also engaged in large-scale international exchanges that give students opportunities to pursue some of their studies abroad.

• Web : https://www.kuleuven.be/english/
  https://rega.kuleuven.be/

KU Leuven is dedicated to education and research in nearly all fields. Its fifteen faculties offer classes and degree-granting academic programmes, whilst research activities are organised by departments and research groups. These faculties and departments are clustered into three thematic groups: Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), and Biomedical Sciences. Each of these groups sponsors its own doctoral school for organising and awarding doctoral degrees.

KU Leuven boasts thirteen campuses, spread across 10 cities in Flanders.

The Rega Institute was founded in 1954 by Professor Piet De Somer and named after the 18th century filantropist and professor Josephus Rega of Leuven. It hosts part of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Since its inception, the Rega Institute hosts also the Section of Medicinal Chemistry of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and it is thus a true interdepartmental and interdisciplinary research institute. The Rega Institute has always been a jewel in the crown of research and innovation at the University of Leuven on the basis of publications, citations and prestigious scientific prizes of its members.

• Web : https://www.lih.lu/

The Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) is a public biomedical research organisation focused on precision health and invested in becoming a leading reference in Europe for the translation of scientific excellence into meaningful benefits for patients.  

LIH places the patient at the heart of all its activities, driven by a collective obligation towards society to use knowledge and technology arising from research on patient-derived data to have a direct impact on people’s health. Its dedicated teams of multidisciplinary researchers strive for excellence, generating relevant knowledge linked to immune related diseases and cancer.  

The institute embraces collaborations, disruptive technology and process innovation as unique opportunities to improve the application of diagnostics and therapeutics with the long-term goal of preventing disease. 

LIH aims to perform research that transcends the boundaries of classical disease definition. Its translational and transversal research strategy, combined with the increasing appreciation of the role of the immune system in determining disease, has led LIH to focus on two priority areas, with inflammation and immunity as the common thread: cancer and immunological disorders.

• Web : http://mbucas.cz/en/

The Institute of Microbiology of the CAS represents the largest scientific body extensively exploring life cycles, molecular mechanisms and regulatory systems of various microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, fungi and algae) as well as mammalian cell lines with respect to basic research questions as well as their prospective practical exploitation in medicine and industry.

The main research interests of our Institute represent cellular and molecular microbiology, genetics and physiology of microorganisms and their resistance to antibiotics, production of microbial metabolites and their biotransformation, and grading up production strains by genetic modifications etc.
Another main research direction is embodied by soil ecology, ecotoxicology and microbial degradation of organic pollutants in the natural environment. An immunological section of the Institute then studies the importance of microorganisms in phylogenetic and ontogenetic acquisition of immunity as well as during the onset of autoimmune diseases and, last but not least, it is also focused on immunotherapies of oncogenic diseases.

Institute of Microbiology of the CAS has an internationally recognized collection of basidiomycetes and its own biotechnological unit, which is mainly used to monitor microbiological and biotechnological processes at a semi-operational scale.

IM CAS has three satellite working units outside of Prague; the first of which is in Trebon (research on phototrophic microorganisms) the second is in Novy Hradek (gnotobiology) and third is in Nove Hrady (Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology).

Despite the fact that the Institute of Microbiology of the CAS is preferentially focused on the basic research, many of its outputs find or will find practical use in pharmaceutical as well as biotechnological industry as documented by a genuine interest of a number of private companies in our scientific work.

• Web : http://www.sphere.univ-paris-diderot.fr/?lang=en

The Sphère unit (Sciences, Philosophy, History) UMR7219 was created in 2009 from the meeting of two units: the CHSPAM (Centre of History of Sciences and Arab and Medieval Philosophies, former UMR 7062), created in 1972, and REHSEIS (Epistemological and Historical Researches on Exact Sciences and Scientific Institutions, former UMR 7596), created in 1984. This meeting concretizes the proximity and the complementarity of the scientific programs of these two units, whose works relate to a long duration ranging from the antiquity to the contemporary period, in different cultural contexts.

The unit includes, on a principal assignment, research professors from two university departments (Paris 1 and Université Paris Cité, previously from Paris, Paris Diderot, and Paris 7) and, as associates, a large number of research professors from other universities and institutions. This integration into the world of teaching is essential for the development of our activities.

We conceive our research as part of an international framework. SPHere maintains links with researchers from all over the world, whose orientations vary considerably. It has the will to be an international place of exchange in the fields it gathers. This is evidenced by its involvement in the creation and animation of several international societies, the direction of international journals, cooperation agreements with foreign institutions, as well as the publications of its members.

The researchers of the Unit teach, and they do so at the most diverse academic levels. We welcome many French and foreign students for internships, and we strive to convince our students of the importance of international research integration. By encouraging them to do so, we give them the means to integrate the national and international scientific community.

• Web : https://www.jenner.ac.uk/

The Jenner Institute is based within the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, and operates out of the Old Road Campus Research Building, in Headington, Oxford.  It was formed in November 2005 through a partnership between the University of Oxford and the UK Institute for Animal Health. It is associated with the Nuffield Department of Medicine, in the Medical Sciences Division of Oxford University. The institute develops vaccines and carries out clinical trials for diseases including malaria, tuberculosis (vaccine MVA85A), ebola, and MERS-Coronavirus. The Jenner Institute also supports senior vaccine scientists, known as Jenner Investigators, within many other departments across the University of Oxford, as well as externally within The Pirbright Institute and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The Jenner Institute brings together investigators who are designing and developing numerous vaccines to generate an exceptional breadth of scientific know-how and critical mass, whilst still allowing the individual investigators to remain independent and accountable to their funders and stakeholders.

The Jenner Institute is supported by the Jenner Vaccine Foundation, a UK registered charity and is advised by the Jenner Institute Scientific Advisory Board.

In 2020, the institute successfully developed the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, in a project backed by private companies including Oxford Sciences Innovation, Google Ventures, and Sequoia Capital, among others.

• Web : https://www.pirbright.ac.uk/our-science/impact-our-research

We are a world leading centre of excellence in research and surveillance of viral diseases of farm animals and viruses that spread from animals to humans. We receive strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and work to enhance capability to contain, control and eliminate these economically and medically important diseases through highly innovative fundamental and applied bioscience. The Institute employs around 450 staff, research students and visiting scientists, and has recently moved to one campus in Pirbright, Surrey, where investment by BBSRC has resulted in a redevelopment of the site and the construction of a high-level containment facility – the BBSRC National Virology Centre: The Plowright Building and a SAPO level two facility, The Jenner Building. 

Our work has a huge impact both nationally and internationally as we fulfil our mission to be the world’s leading innovative centre for preventing and controlling viral diseases of livestock. We play a crucial role in protecting UK livestock from viruses that have huge socio-economic impact with a unique combination of fundamental research and applied science in diagnostics and control.

The Institute is home to Reference Laboratories that focus on surveillance of viruses that are not endemic, but pose a threat to the UK. These include foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and bluetongue virus (BTV).  We provide the UK with its capability to monitor current and future threats from exotic viruses, to inform national and international government and non-governmental agencies, and to lead with efforts to best control exotic viruses if and when they arrive in the UK.

• Web : https://tron-mainz.de/

TRON is an independent non-profit translational research organization. We pursue new diagnostics and drugs for the treatment of diseases with high medical need. We apply our transdisciplinary competencies in genomics and immunology to develop novel platforms for the identification and validation of ‘omics’-based biomarkers, to modulate immune system components for use in personalized therapies. Collaborating with academia and industry, TRON executes research at the leading edge to support innovative drug design for human health.

TRON´s mission is to bridge the gap between fundamental science at universities and market-oriented research in the pharmaceutical industry. We turn innovative scientific concepts into treatments ready for clinical testing, thereby accelerating the translation of discoveries into progress for patients. 

Translating scientific concepts into clinical applications is a major contemporary challenge in health care. Expiring patents, empty pipelines and the increasing complexity of product development in the era of individualized medicine mean that even large pharmaceutical companies cannot address these challenges alone. At the same time, increasing regulatory requirements and costs have seen public research organizations virtually suspend the clinical translation of new scientific insight. Here in Mainz, we believe mastering these challenges is possible through cooperation between our first-rate research institute and private companies specializing in innovative product development.

TRON was founded in 2010 as a non-profit limited liability company to address these challenges. Co-founders Ugur Sahin, Christoph Huber and Özlem Türeci’s vision for TRON is to facilitate clinical translation of innovative science by interfacing between public and private stakeholders and bridging the gap between research insight and mature product development.

• Web : https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/research-groups/centre-for-evaluation-vaccination/

The CEV is a multidisciplinary research group, participating on a regular basis in (inter)national scientific vaccine research. The available expertise of the CEV holds a platform for conducting vaccine trials (phase 1-4) and is involved in policy research projects related to vaccination.

Research mission:

• • Improve knowledge in several vaccine-related fields by performing different research projects, including clinical vaccine trials, epidemiological surveys and economic evaluations and infectious disease modelling.

• • Spread knowledge on all aspects of vaccination by publishing results of the research projects, both through scientific and vulgarised publications, by offering teaching and training to (para)medical students and by organising vaccine-related courses to health care professionals.

• • Support public health policy making, based on our expertise in Public Health, Youth Health, Social Medicine, Epidemiology, and Vaccinology.

• • Support and help target vaccination policy and public health in Flanders, Belgium, and Europe, by written as well as oral communications.

• • Offer consultancy services in vaccine-related fields, such as vaccine research, vaccine administration, vaccination programmes, and epidemiology of vaccine-preventable diseases.

• Web : https://www.u-pec.fr/fr/universite/strategie-et-grands-projets/labex-vri-vaccine-research-institute

The Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), Laboratory of excellence, was established by the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and viral hepatitis (ANRS – France REcherche Nord & sud Sida-HIV Hépatites) and the University of Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) to conduct research to accelerate the development of effective vaccines against HIV/AIDS, and (re)-emerging infectious diseases. The VRI’s structure strengthens the links between basic research and translational research, patient’s associations and the socio-economic world, contributing to accelerating vaccine development.

The VRI is structured around research teams with multi-disciplinary expertise, a network of national and international thought leading scientists, a clinical network of physicians, core facilities and innovative immunomonitoring platform.

The VRI is closely linked to the department of clinical immunopathology (Hospital CHU Mondor), which has been involved in more than 20 clinical trials in the field of HIV and primary immunodeficiencies.

More than 1200 HIV-infected patients are followed in this clinical department. Since 2007, the clinical department extended its clinical research program by the creation of Clinical Center for HIV Vaccinology aimed at recruiting healthy volunteers and developing HIV vaccine clinical trials.

The VRI Clinical Core in conjunction with the ANRS clinical center network, sets up the VRI Phase I/II vaccine clinical trials that aims to identify the prime/boost strategy to be developed in Phase IIb.

The scientific goals of the VRI offer significant opportunities for innovation as they intend to:

• • develop and extend the portfolio of candidate vaccines for HIV and (re)-emerging infectious diseases to be tested in clinical trials

• • improve the technology of immuno and viromonitoring for vaccine trials

• • strengthen the partnership between immunologists, virologists, cell biologists, molecular biologists, pre-clinical model specialists and clinicians

• • develop novel partnerships with industry

• • pursue a social science program to analyze the specific issues related to communication on HIV and overall vaccinology

• • bring strong expertise on regulatory, legal and ethical aspects

• • provide the optimal environment for improved coordination of an integrated scientific program and of dedicated funding