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Research and innovation

EU funded research projects on Zika

Details of projects and consortia that were mobilised in the wake of the 2016 Zika outbreak. 

EU action on Zika research

The EU is investing €45 million in research to fight outbreaks caused by emerging infections such as the Zika virus.

Following the publication of a specific call to address the Zika research gaps, 3 consortia were selected for EU Horizon 2020 funding for a total of €30 million: ZikaPLAN, ZIKAction and ZikAlliance.

Research consortia to fight Zika

The 3 research consortia collaborate to fill the knowledge gaps on Zika infection and its consequences for pregnant women, new-born babies and adults. 

They will also develop improved diagnostic tests and investigate options for treatment and prevention. The consortia work together to set up a Latin American and Caribbean network for emerging infectious diseases preparedness and response, aiming to support a coherent research response to outbreaks of Zika and other emerging infectious diseases.

ZikaPLAN 

Ccoordinated by the Umeå University in Sweden. It includes 25 partners from Europe, Latin and North America, Africa and Asia, and will investigate the clinical spectrum of Zika virus disease, the disease transmission mode, immunological consequences of infection, innovation in diagnostics novel personal preventive measures.

ZikaPLAN

ZIKAction

Coordinated by the Penta Foundation in Italy and includes 13 partners in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. ZIKAction is a smaller consortium that mainly focuses on clinical studies, including prospective cohorts of pregnant women and newborns.

ZIKAction

ZikAlliance 

Coordinated by INSERM in France, is the largest consortium with 53 partners in Europe, Latin and North America, Africa, Asia and islands in the Pacific Ocean. They will do studies on the clinical spectrum of the disease and its natural history, transmission modes and animal reservoirs, mathematical modelling, vector competence and control, and social studies.

ZikAlliance

More projects in the area

2 additional projects are being prepared for a total budget of €10 million, focusing on the development of a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine against Zika virus infection, and on supporting facilities for research into insects that transmit infectious diseases.

ZIKAVAX is coordinated by the European Vaccine Initiative and includes 4 partners. It aims to develop a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine against Zika virus infection.

INFRAVEC2 project, coordinated by Institut Pasteur includes 24 partners from Europe, Africa and the Pacific. The overall objective of the project is to integrate key specialised 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.

Ongoing projects on diseases related to Zika

Other ongoing research projects on dengue fever and other diseases related to Zika, including projects on preparedness research, have taken up Zika related research in response to the ongoing outbreak.

COMPARE is a large EU project with the intention to speed up the detection of and response to disease outbreaks like Zika among humans and animals worldwide through the use of new genome technology.

If locally-transmitted Zika is detected in Europe, clinical research project PREPARE(Platform for European Preparedness Against (Re-) emerging Epidemics) is ready to quickly collect crucial clinical data to improve patient management.