National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology to help manage future epidemics
The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out more than two years ago, clearly demonstrated the critical importance of science and research. It also revealed how important active communication and information sharing between research institutions is. In order to better manage future emergencies related to sudden infections, the National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology (NIVB) is being established in the Czech Republic.
The project will not comprise a new research institute being built, but instead a robust research network made up of three dozen different institutes and research teams. The National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology (NIVB), financed with 1.3 billion CZK from EU funds, involves teams from the Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University in Prague, Masaryk University in Brno, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, and Palacký University in Olomouc.
IOCB Prague will be the main coordinator of the NIVB. "COVID-19 has shown very vividly and painfully that epidemics have the potential to turn our advanced society and way of life upside down," explained IOCB Prague director Jan Konvalinka. "It also revealed that in the Czech Republic, though we do have top research teams engaging in world-class research, we lack an overarching platform that would connect them all, facilitate cooperation, and provide expert recommendations to politicians or authorities in charge of necessary measures. That is why I am delighted that such a visionary platform is finally emerging that will be able to integrate research in this area, and I am proud that our Institute is coordinating the new project."
The NIVB aims to connect researchers and improve the coordination of their capacities in tackling emerging epidemics. The role of the institute will be to provide expert opinions and advice to the country’s leaders, which is key to an effective response in the event of potential new epidemics.
NIVB research will focus on three main areas. The first is the study of interactions between viruses or bacteria and their hosts – for instance, understanding the mechanisms by which viruses and bacteria multiply in infected organisms and cause disease. The second area of research is the study of the immune response of the infected organism and innate and acquired immunity against pathogens. The third area is the research and development of new diagnostic tools and drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases.
The consortium includes a total of 28 research teams from Charles University, Masaryk University, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Palacký University in Olomouc, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS, the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the CAS, the Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, and the Biology Centre of the CAS.
The NIVB project is funded by a grant from the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports under the Exceles programme, which focuses on supporting excellent research in priority areas of public interest in health care. The Exceles programme is funded by the EU through its Recovery and Resilience Facility.
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