14 – 16 June 2023, Trieste, Italy
The course is part of a joint initiative between ICGEB and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Implementation Support Unit (ISU) of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). The objectives of Article X of BWC are perfectly aligned with the ICGEB mandate to promote scientific research excellence, training, and biotechnology transfer to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ICGEB promotes and realizes capacity building initiatives which are articulated in a series of interconnected activities aimed at transferring biotechnology skills to enable beneficiaries to apply this skill set in a sustainable fashion once they are back to their countries of origin. The final aim is to establish an international network of scientists under the UNODA/ICGEB umbrella trained for the peaceful use of biotechnology.
This Course focusses on human viral diseases with a pandemic potential. The Course is divided in theoretical and practical sessions.
Theoretical sessions are organized in lectures from international experts in virology, diagnostic procedures, epidemiology, public heath, surveillance, antiviral therapy, vaccines and biosecurity. Lectures will take place in the morning, with ample possibility of discussion between participants and lecturers.
Practical sessions will include application of a molecular assay for virus detection in the field and application of a next-generation sequencing for virus detection in the field.
Criteria for selection of supported fellows:
- Scientific relevance of the practical course to participant’s own work
- Work performed in home countries in the topics of the course
- Participants from DAC LDC Countries
- Proactive gender balance
- Date of application
Documents to be provided by applicants: a motivation letter outlining the specific interest to attend and a CV.
Timeline:
Announcement/opening: 15th March 2023
Deadline for application: 30th April 2023
Outcome of selection: 15th May 2023
Expected outputs:
- To provide a theoretical background on the pandemic risk of viral infections, on the molecular tools to identify viral diseases, on the antiviral treatments and on the BWC scope
- To provide a practical understanding on the current tools for molecular virus diagnostics and surveillance
- To provide a network of reference scientists in Europe and in Africa for future collaborative work
For any query:
[email protected]