mobilising scotland's assets in equitable ways for epidemic control (mosaec)

Context and rationale: Stakeholder engagement has led the Phase 1 team to focus here on a pathogen agnostic approach mobilising existing epidemic assets (i.e., assets such as diverse organisations, communities, technologies, individuals, biological samples and data sets) to improve the way that the whole system works together in future epidemics and avoids inequalities emerging. Epidemics result from diverse pathogens affecting varied hosts (e.g., BVD, FMD, HIV, influenzas, SARS-CoV-2, Mpox). Transmission dynamics and health outcomes are socially patterned and negatively affect some more than others1-6. To date, to reduce inequalities, insufficient focus has addressed learning from past epidemics to inform future responses. To address these taxing issues fully, we need more than disparate disciplines working in isolation. We need a genuine marriage of multiple perspectives and ways of working to create a new interdisciplinary paradigm. Phase 1 funding will provide the time and space for this and will delivery genuine interdisciplinary Phase 2 applications. Broad challenge area: How can we use an interdisciplinary lens to learn from past epidemics and plan for the future whilst reducing inequalities? Aim: To mobilise diverse networks and expertise to develop impactful interdisciplinary epidemic research that capitalises on Scotland's epidemic assets and reduces inequalities.