Today is World Polio Day and a fantastic showcase of just how effective vaccines can be: since 1988 a 99.9% reduction in polio has left just three countries with cases (down from 125 countries) and an estimated 16 million people have been saved from paralysis. This kind of public health success is why we so urgently want to develop vaccines against TB, leishmaniasis, melioidosis and leprosy.
There has been plenty going on in our vaccine field this week:
Funding opportunities: the NC3Rs international prize for 3Rs research call is now open
Training opportunities: a workshop on data management for early career researchers in Nairobi is taking applications; travel funding available
Events: the Acid Fast Club's Winter meeting will be 15th January 2018 at the Crick Institute, London
Twitter: advice on professional networking from the YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) Network, an opinion piece on why maintaining collaborations with Europe in the face of Brexit is so important, the BSI's report on the state of UK immunology careers, how to sign up to the NERC public engagement network, and much more - do follow us @NetworkValidate.
We've also welcomed four new Associate members to VALIDATE: Dr Javier Sanchez-Garcia from University of Mexico City (excitingly, our first member from Mexico!), Dr Lucia Biffar from University of Oxford (UK), Dr Akusa Patrice Mawa from UVRI (Uganda), and Dr Abdou Padane from IRESSEF (Senegal) who is our first Pharmacist member. They'll be added to the Member's Directory shortly so that you can check out their research interests. VALIDATE is an open and cross-discipline Network, so do invite your collaborators, staff and students who work on TB, leish, melioidosis or leprosy vaccines, epidemiology, modelling, immunology, bioengineering (or any any other related discipline) to join us.
And a final reminder that you only have one week left to apply for a VALIDATE pump-priming grant or training grant as both these first rounds close on 31 October 2017. More information about the calls and how to apply can be found on each call's webpage - we look forward to receiving lots of interesting project and training ideas!
Published: 24 October 2017
