Fostering Scientific Collaboration and Capacity Strengthening

Responding to emerging infectious diseases (EID) requires not only timely mobilization of public health resources but also scientific capacity and collaboration. Conduct of scientific research during  infectious diseases emergencies is often fraught with immense challenges of exchanging information and samples, developing sensible regulatory oversight, setting up equitable and ethical research infrastructure, and sharing results in a timely manner. 

Additionally, research capacity has to be universal across low and high resources areas. Research infrastructure  in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can generate resilience required to combat EID threats, and can help the global community answer relevant scientific questions about these pathogens more effectively, while refining the questions that should be asked. Strong research capacity can lead to more equitable  governance of research during outbreaks.

Like prior EID outbreaks, the COVID-19 pandemic has also underscored the need for  global collaboration for the development of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. The pandemic also reveals the need for broader conversation, increased understanding and transparency, international collaboration, and multi-stakeholder involvement in scientific diplomacy worldwide. Critical to this effort is an understanding of the role that maximum- and high-containment research laboratories play in pandemic preparedness and in providing infrastructure for rapidly deployed measures of collecting data and specimens from animals and humans to support researchers in their quest for understanding emerging pathogens — during outbreaks and in preparation for the next inevitable threat. CEID’s work in this space aims to strengthen collaboration among key players in forging the path towards a faster and more equitable global scientific response by identifying key programmatic and policy interventions in this space. 

Our Current Work In This Space:

 

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