The i3 (Imagine, Innovate, Impact) project aims to promote public engagement with STEM by creating stronger links between researchers and the general public. It unites STEM practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public to increase the general public awareness of research and innovation endeavors, support public recognition of researchers, to have stronger support and sense of ownership of research enterprises, to create relevance of researchers’ work on citizen’s daily life and the material world, to support capacity building among young researchers via engagement training, and to encourage young people to become “agents of change” by pursuing their research careers in STEM fields. Bringing top-quality universities, R&D centers, and institutions in STEM engagement and energizing their willingness to “embrace change” will significantly contribute to a wider recognition of research and innovation. The i3 project includes 10 main strands: (i) STEM Slam, (ii) Café Scientific - Meet the Scientist, (iii) STEM Expo, (iv) Guided Visits to Research and Development Labs, (v) Hands- and Minds-on STEM workshops, (vi) Science Shows, (vii) European Union Corner, (viii) Games, (ix) Science Movies, and (x) Concert. Topics and disciplines are structured among STEM with an emphasis on researchers’ contribution and impact on humanities, showcase technological advancement, and promote cutting-edge technological products. That is why our motto is i3: imagine, innovate, impact. In a way, the project might light a spark in the participants’ minds and actions. The i3 project will be held in five cities from east to west, north to central Anatolia.

Natural epidemics and outbreaks of emerging viral epidemics are growing problems internationally. The general aim of the CCHFVaccine project is to develop and deliver a vaccine, which can significantly increase our capacity to control the situation of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) disease on a global basis. The proposed work program on CCHF virus aims to build a multidisciplinary research network, able to deliver vaccine candidates, methods and procedures eligible for clinical trials, with a special focus on prevention. Thanks to the background, unique facilities and tools available among the consortium participants, CCHFVaccine will deliver tools for countering the threat of this infection in Europe and endemic areas of the world. This work program will attempt to fill gaps in CCHFV virus research on immunology and vaccinology. To achieve this overall aim, an intensive work plan will be put in place with the following specific objectives: i) to produce vaccine candidates, ii) to bring several unique animal models into front line vaccine research, iii) to validate and bring the most promising vaccine candidates to clinical trials, iv) to ensure that an immune mediated protection is adequately understood, v) to perform clinical trials at Phase I and ensure a strategy for the effective deployment and utilization in resource-poor countries, and vi) to link this project to public health bodies, NGOs and vaccine companies. The proposed CCHFVaccine project will succeed in bringing together selected competitive advantages such as: operating capacity with appropriate facilities (state-of-the-art BSL-4s) and the only animal BSL-4 -with capacity to challenge domestic animals in Europe, highly experienced researchers in the development and evaluation of vaccine candidates, authorities and entities of human and animal health, clinical samples from endemic countries, and an international network proven to be functional by the previous EU-funded CCHFever and EDENext.

It has become apparent that the ease of travelling, global warming, and changes in the environment accelerate the spread of infectious diseases of zoonotic origin. International collaboration is essential to impact on the control of disease epidemics, and as the COVID pandemic has shown rapid diagnostics are one of the main pillars. PREPARE-TID will target infectious agents of three types: an ongoing neglected epidemic, an ongoing emerging epidemic, and an ongoing elimination drive. The aim is to develop the necessary in vitro diagnostic tools for preparedness needed in case of the emergence of infectious agent X. PREAPRE-TID is a multidisciplinary research consortium drawn from 16 European and 3 international research organisations and SMEs. Biomedical researchers will work alongside epidemiologists, clinicians, veterinarians, and software engineers to implement a pipeline from a mobile suitcase sequencing laboratory with a simple bioinformatics to a fieldable rapid nucleic acid extraction procedure, a mobile smartphone linked molecular point-of-care and a multiplex PCR one-health surveillance platform, and a one health digital platform. These will provide innovative diagnostic solutions for cross-border health threats at international level. PREPARE-TID will increase the accessibility to novel diagnostics for detection of pathogens with pandemic potential. The consortium will deliver point-of-care and mobile diagnostics, which can be easily deployed and mass produced in case of an epidemic or pandemic.

New outbreaks caused by bluetongue viruses (BTVs) have emerged in European livestock every year since 1998. These events that have been linked to climate change, resulted in massive losses due to fatalities, reduced productivity, reproductive failures, restricted animal movements/trade, and surveillance/vaccination costs. PALE-Blu brings together European institutes with expertise in BTV research and diagnosis, with partners in endemic regions (Africa, the Middle East and Turkey) that act as a ‘source’ for BTV strains that emerge in Europe. Full-genome sequence-analyses will increase the accuracy of BTV-strain distribution maps, to identify pathways and mechanisms for spread into and within Europe, as well as appropriate prevention strategies. PALE-Blu will analyse the genetic connectivity of Culicoides vector populations in different regions, as well as the movements of individual BTV lineages and genes. Together with reverse genetics technologies and infection/replication studies in new Culicoides cell lines, or adults from different Culicoides species, this will elucidate the genetic basis for geographic localisation/movement of BTV strains and serotypes. We will analyse differences in saliva proteins from Culicoides species, their ability to modify the BTV surface proteins (proteases) and effects on efficiency of transmission (in both directions) between vertebrae hosts and insect-vectors. These studies will provide a better understanding of incursion risks for different BTV strains, supporting effective control strategies. PALE-BLU will explore more effective and cross-serotype subunit-vaccines that are DIVA assay compatible and generate a stronger immune response from a single innoculation. We will also explore the potential for use of antiviral agents to induce immediate protection post vaccination. More effective diagnostic systems to better detect mixed infections will also be developed by multiplexing existing or novel diagnostic assay systems.