Thanks to the EURIPRED project it became possible to build a new infrastructure VIPRD EXTRANET platform  that permits a close collaboration between scientists from different countries and backgrounds. Currently 45 research institutions worldwide subscribed to the platform whose aim  is to coordinate and integrate international resources into a single specialised infrastructure to support European HIV, TB, malaria and hepatitis  virus studies from early drug, vaccine and microbicide discovery to clinical trials. The platform also called the Virtual Institute  creates  partnerships between European scientists and international research teams from disease endemic countries and supports  strong collaborations between industry and public sector research. The Virtual Institute on PRD enables multiple communities of researchers to establish efficient communication in a protected environment, to set up common tasks, monitor their execution, to participate in on-line learning activities, to disseminate results to large audiences of buy-ins, to have an access to digital library, just to name a few  characteristics of the VIPRD.

The ultimate aim of the  VI is to abolish high fragmentation  in the PRD research landscape that largely stalls the progress towards new vaccines and drugs. This will improve  the EU's competitiveness in poverty related diseases research field and will boost our fundamental knowledge to combat  PRDs that alone account for more than six million deaths worldwide every year.

HIV Research  Networks

TB Research  Networks

HEPATITIS Research  Networks

MALARIA Research Networks

Links with major PRD scientific societies

    
Networking Monitor: February 2016