Support for the functioning of the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R)

Topic description

Specific Challenge:

Human health worldwide is increasingly threatened by potential epidemics caused by existing or newly emerging infectious diseases, including those that are resistant to antimicrobial agents. With globalisation, people movement and trade at record highs, pathogens can spread further and faster than ever before in human history. To fight such an international challenge, the EU must think globally and coordinate with international infectious disease research funders.

It is for this reason that the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R)^[1] was established in 2013 in response to a request for coordination by the Heads of International Research Organizations. Years on, GloPID-R now provides an important platform for infectious disease research funders to work together to better tackle deadly outbreaks such as Ebola, yellow fever, Zika and plague.

In order to save lives, a research response to an epidemic needs to be quick, flexible, comprehensive and global. For this reason, besides directly coordinating research to infectious disease outbreaks GloPID-R Members also work to improve the underlying international framework in which this research takes place. Ongoing efforts with the network include in-depth discussions on improved data-sharing during outbreaks, creating links between clinical trial networks, and the inclusion of social science into research responses to public health emergencies.

The above work, and more, requires a large amount of administrative support to GloPID-R Members. To maintain GloPID-R, facilitate its ongoing and new work streams, and to increase the effectiveness of the network, further administrative and technical support in the form of a secretariat is warranted.

Proposals should provide administrative and organisational support to the Chair and Vice Chairs of GloPID-R, in close collaboration with the European Commission. This includes, but is not limited to, the organisation of meetings and teleconferences, including basic costs associated therewith as required; note-taking and record-keeping; management of information dissemination and communication between the Chairs, Members, Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), Industry Stakeholder Group (ISG), working groups, enquiries, and outside stakeholders. Proposals should also maintain and expand GloPID-R’s external communications activities, such as the website and newsletter, as requested by the Chairs.

Further to administrative and organisational issues, proposals should also provide more technical support on topics requested by the GloPID-R Chairs or groups such as the SAB or ISG. This may include preparing briefings, reports, mapping exercises or presentations. Furthermore, proposals shall take the lead in facilitating the work of the SAB, ISG and a number of GloPID-R working groups. For these reasons, proposals should have a familiarity with research preparedness and responses to infectious disease outbreaks, as well as the ability to facilitate and follow-up on discussions between high-level individuals in a professional manner.

Proposals should also provide a high level of adaptability. The GloPID-R secretariat primarily supports the work of the Chairs of GloPID-R, and should this work alter in scope or direction, remove or add work streams, or otherwise change the activities of the secretariat then it will be expected to have flexibility to change accordingly. In this regard, the selected consortium will be expected to submit an annual work plan to the Commission each year following the annual meeting of GloPID-R. This will take into account the conclusions of the annual meeting and will lay out an adapted plan for activities of the secretariat over the following 12 months as a result. Despite this, changes that alter the grant agreement will require approval by the Commission.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of around EUR 1 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts. Funding may be complemented at a later date by additional funding from other members of GloPID-R.

• Effective operation of GloPID-R for at least three years.
• Reinforced international cooperation in funding of research in new and emerging infectious diseases, both between for-profit and not-for-profit research funders.
• Improved framework for a rapid and effective research response to prepare for or respond to public health emergencies, in areas such as data sharing, social science, clinical trial networks and others.
• Better communication of the activities of GloPID-R members, both as a group and individually, to the research community and other stakeholders.

International cooperation

[1]GloPID-R website: https://www.glopid-r.org/