MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis (MRC GIDA)

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the threat that infectious diseases pose to societies whilst the rapid global spread of monkeypox, the identification of polio in the UK and US, and the emergence of Marburg viral haemorrhagic fever in Ghana are timely reminders of the challenges that lay ahead. Over the last 15 years, the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis has been at the forefront of the development and application of data analysis and modelling across a wide range of pathogens. A key feature of our approach is our close links with public health agencies in the UK and internationally, enabling rapid translation of scientific insights into actionable public health support. During this award, we aim to catalyse our inter-disciplinary approach across four research-based themes: a) Preparedness and Response to Emerging Threats: Building the epidemiological tools required nationally and internationally to respond to new threats. b) Global Health Analytics: Supporting strategies to control and eliminate endemic diseases. c) Vaccines and Therapeutics: Supporting the development pipeline for new products and evaluating the retrospective and prospective impact of existing products in reducing disease burden. d) Pathogen Genomic Epidemiology: Developing genomics data to support better surveillance of emerging threats and to inform vaccine development, alongside analytical methods that integrate genomic and epidemiological data to inform public health policy. Through three underpinning pillars - research software engineering, translation and communication (including a dedicated Translational Modelling Hub) and training and capacity strengthening - we will enable rapid communication and uptake of our outputs to external partners - including the academic community, public health agencies and wider society.