Over the past 10 years, arboviral diseases, such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever, have (re)emerged with increasing prevalence and severity. Although these arboviral diseases are more prevalent in tropical countries, increasing numbers of autochthonous cases are being reported from European countries; hence raising concerns about the potential for the establishment of these pathogens in temperate regions. In the absence of effective vaccines and treatments, preventing these diseases at the global scale continues to depend largely on controlling mosquito vector populations, interrupting human–vector contact or both. Unfortunately, the recent resurgence of Aedes transmitted arboviral diseases worldwide highlights the limitations of current vector control to prevent epidemics and to reduce the incidence of diseases. New, affordable, scalable and community-based vector control measures are urgently needed to prevent the introduction, spread and establishment of Aedes-borne diseases in Europe and beyond. The INOVEC project proposes to build a large pan-European, cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary network to develop, optimise and promote integrated approaches and innovative tools for the surveillance and control of mosquito vectors of emerging arboviruses. INOVEC will gather 21 academic and non-academic institutions specialized in vector biology, social sciences and product development to stimulate basic and applied research, strengthen capacities, promote career development and facilitate knowledge and technology transfer to countries at increasing risk of arboviral diseases. INOVEC has the commitment to coordinate and integrate sectors in order to maximise impact, raise awareness of policy makers and stakeholders, and participate in the improvement of innovation potential at the European and global level. INOVEC will contribute to international efforts to improve global health and human well-being by reducing the burden of vector borne diseases.

CONTAGIO is a consortium of investigators from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, that aims to create coordination mechanisms to rapidly react to infectious disease (re-)emergence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Consortium builds on the experience acquired through the EC-funded projects ReCoDiD, ORCHESTRA, ZIKAlliance, and IDAMS. We believe that observational cohorts are essential instruments as they provide much needed information on the natural history of the disease, including transmission routes, vulnerability factors, the proportion of, and risk factors for, severe disease outcomes and therefore lay the ground for intervention studies. CONTAGIO will convene cohort investigators and data/specimen sharing specialists by a) generating a preparedness and interoperability platform (WP1/2); b) enabling a suite of tools and key pathways for data sharing (WP2/3); and c) developing governance for sharing of biological material in the event of emerging infections (WP4). A key step on this path is the investigation of how ongoing cohorts ‘repurpose’ their focus from one infectious disease to another in the event of epidemics (e.g. from dengue to Zika to COVID-19). The open science foreseen in CONTAGIO will create a coordination mechanism and framework for the role of sustainable cohorts in preparedness for (re-)emerging infectious diseases during interepidemic periods, which will be vital for the joint progress towards a better tackling of disease emergence aimed at the protection of citizens in LMICs, Europe and the rest of the world.

ZIKAlliance is a multidisciplinary project with a global "One Health" approach, built: on a multi-centric network of clinical cohorts in the Caribbean, Central & South America; research sites in countries where the virus has been or is currently circulating (Africa, Asia, Polynesia) or at risk for emergence (Reunion Island); a strong network of European and Brazilian clinical & basic research institutions; and multiple interfaces with other scientific and public health programmes. ZIKAlliance will addrees three key objectives relating to (i) impact of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy and short & medium term effects on newborns, (ii) associated natural history of ZIKV infection in humans and their environment in the context of other circulating arboviruses and (iii) building the overall capacity for preparedness research for future epidemic threats in Latin America & the Caribbean. The project will take advantage of large standardised clinical cohorts of pregnant women and febrile patients in regions of Latin America and the Caribbean were the virus is circulating, expanding a preexisting network established by the IDAMS EU project. I will also benefit of a very strong expertise in basic and environmental sciences, with access to both field work and sophisticated technological infrastructures to characterise virus replication and physiopathology mechanisms. To meet its 3 key objectives, the scientific project has been organised in 9 work packages, with WP2/3 dedicated to clinical research (cohorts, clinical biology, epidemiology & modeling), WP3/4 to basic research (virology & antivirals, pathophysiology & animal models), WP5/6 to environmental research (animal reservoirs, vectors & vector control) , WP7/8 to social sciences & communication, and WP9 to management. The broad consortium set-up allow gathering the necessary expertise for an actual interdisciplinary approach, and operating in a range of countries with contrasting ZIKV epidemiological status.