The overall objective of the Infravec2 project is to integrate key specialized research facilities necessary for European excellence in insect vector biology, to open the infrastructure for European access, and to develop new vector control measures targeting the greatest threats to human health and animal industries. Infravec2 is an Advanced Community, following a four-year Starting Community lifecycle (FP7 Infravec1). Lack of access to key infrastructures limits European vector research and impedes development of vector control measures. Insect vectors transmit parasitic diseases such as malaria and leishmaniasis, and viral infections such as chikungunya, dengue, Zika, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever. Vector-borne diseases, which have historically been a problem of tropical countries, now represent a threat for temperate regions of the world including much of Europe. The 24 consortium partners, including 4 commercial companies, hold the major European biosecure insectaries for experimental infection and containment of insect vectors under Containment Level 2 and 3 (CL2/CL3) conditions, other key insect vector facilities, and include front-line field sites in Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas. Infravec2 will implement comparable standards across the secure insectary facilities as a world first, improving exploitation of European vector infrastructures for research and public health, and will develop other innovative methodologies and technologies. Networking activities will assure that the project achieves full impact, producing a step change in European vector biology research and the product pipeline, and consolidating European global leadership in insect vectors. The goal of the Infravec2 project is to build a durable European infrastructure to control insect vector-borne disease, including with power to predict and prevent the inevitable next epidemic outbreak in advance.

The ISIDORe consortium, made of the capacities of European ESFRI infrastructures and coordinated networks, proposes to assemble the largest and most diverse research and service providing instrument to study infectious diseases in Europe, from structural biology to clinical trials. Giving scientists access to the whole extent of our state of the art facilities, cutting edge services, advanced equipment and expertise, in an integrated way and with a common goal, will enable or accelerate the generation of new knowledge and intervention tools to ultimately help control SARS CoV 2 in particular, and epidemic prone pathogens in general, while avoiding fragmentation and duplication among European initiatives. Such a global and interdisciplinary approach is meant to allow the implementation of user projects that are larger, more ambitious and more impactful than the EU supported transnational activities that the consortium is used to run. Our proposition is ambitious but achievable in a timely fashion due to the relevance and previous experience of the partners that we have gathered and that have complementary fields of expertise, which addresses the need for an interdisciplinary effort. Leveraging all these existing strengths to develop synergies will create an additional value and enhance Europe capacity for controlling emerging or re emerging and epidemic infectious diseases, starting with the COVID 19 pandemic. Such a global and coordinated approach is consistent with the recommendations of the One Health concept and necessary to make significant contributions to solving complex societal problems like epidemics and pandemics.