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DURABLE

DURABLE

Delivering a Unified Research Alliance of Biomedical and public health Laboratories against Epidemics

Delivering a Unified Research Alliance of Biomedical and public health Laboratories against Epidemics

DURABLE in figures

Duration 4 years

2023 – 2027

Budget 30M

25M funded by HERA

19 Partners &
2 Affiliated Entity

in 15 EU Countries

170 Experts

48 Tasks

11 distributed in WPs

10 Specific Objectives

17 Milestones

29 Deliverables

DURABLE in figures

Duration

4 years 2023 – 2027

Budget

30M 25M funded by HERA

19 Partners & 2 Affiliated Entity

in 15 EU Countries

170 Experts

48 Tasks

11 distributed in WPs

10 Specific Objectives

17 Milestones

29 Deliverables

Durable coordinator
Dr. Jean-Claude Manuguerra | Institut Pasteur, FR

“Our network DURABLE represents an important step in improving Europe preparedness and readiness to pandemic and other large-scale health threats”

About the project

Project period: 1/2/2023 – 31/1/2027

Outbreaks of infectious diseases are increasing due to multiple local and global interaction changes disrupting the fragile balance of the complex human-animal-environment ecosystem. The increased frequency and complexity of health threats require a different, unified form of preparedness and a coordinated, fast, reliable and effective emergency response.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases are increasing due to multiple local and global interaction changes disrupting the fragile balance of the complex human-animal-environment ecosystem. The increased frequency and complexity of health threats require a different, unified form of preparedness and a coordinated, fast, reliable and effective emergency response.

DURABLE is a tailored solution to this recognised need – a strong network of world-class basic and translational research institutes and public health centres across Europe with an outstanding track record in public health support with global reach. DURABLE aims to provide high-quality scientific information in record time to support HERA’s decision-making in preparing for and responding to cross-border health threats and assessing the impact of countermeasures.

DURABLE will coordinate a global collaboration, from pathogen detection, evolutionary analysis and threat characterisation, with One Health approach, to data and information collection and sharing, for optimal threat response. DURABLE is a unique multidisciplinary consortium with complementary expertise to meet this challenge and build productive interactions with HERA and other stakeholders.

Due to their outstanding track record and experience in the field, the DURABLE consortium is competent from day one. DURABLE will develop and validate a roadmap for rapid deployment of key countermeasures, test the robustness of the network, and assess key aspects of its emergency mode when simulating or dealing with identified threats. Additionally, DURABLE will focus on long-term sustainability by focusing on capacity building, training the next generation of researchers and developing pandemic preparedness training modules for the network and beyond.

Project objectives

DURABLE will be a one-stop shop for diagnostics, research, preparedness and response to current and future health threats for the benefit of citizens in the EU and worldwide.

DURABLE will establish a sustainable network of laboratories and research institutes that can address the barriers of better preparedness, and provide alerts, real-time scientific data and integrated analyses to HERA.

DURABLE will develop and use both non-targeted and targeted methods for identification of known and new threats

DURABLE will coordinate, integrate, analyse and share the output for rapid and direct use in public health decision making.

DURABLE will develop targeted studies to guide further evidence gathering in response to alerts

co-coordinator
Dr. Marion Koopmans | Erasmus Medical Center, NL

“DURABLE will be uniquely positioned to support HERA in responding to future health emergencies, by providing timely scientific intelligence and by translating them into operational recommendations”

Latest News

All news items

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DURABLE Bioinformatics Course, taking place at Institut Pasteur, Paris, from July 7 to 11, 2025

July 9, 2025

The DURABLE Bioinformatics Course is taking place right now at Institut Pasteur, Paris!!! We have 24 scientists from 18 organizations on three continents learning from 10 instructors in this exciting course.

Course Overview
This course is designed around a simulated outbreak scenario to provide hands-on experience with genomic tools at different stages of an outbreak investigation. Participants will learn how to detect pathogens, analyze their origins, and trace transmission routes using state-of-the-art sequencing and bioinformatics methods.

Learning Objectives
The overall objective is to gain insight into bioinformatics applications for specific questions related to outbreak response. By the end of this course, participants will have notions on and knowledge of tools for:
1. Apply metagenomic techniques (in silico) for pathogen detection.
2. Use global genomic datasets to assess pathogen evolution and origins.
3. Analyze transmission dynamics using phylodynamics.
4. Interpret genomic data to inform outbreak response strategies.

Participants’ profile
The course will prioritize researchers working on infectious disease genomics and pathogen biology, particularly those with ongoing or planned projects requiring bioinformatics analyses on early outbreak detection and response. Participants might come from diverse scientific backgrounds to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. No previous command line knowledge is necessary.

Expected Outcomes of the Course
-Interdisciplinary Collaboration – Foster interactions between experts in bioinformatics, epidemiology, and public health, with a focus on research-oriented bioinformatics applications.
-Metagenomics Data and Analysis – Gain knowledge of metagenomic raw data, analytical pipelines, and available resources for further exploration.
-Evolutionary Dynamics and Pathogen Biology – Acquire knowledge on evolutionary processes, their impact on pathogen biology, and their implications for the development of appropriate medical countermeasures, while recognizing the method’s potential and limitations.
-Phylodynamics and Transmission Route Analysis – Learn the principles of phylodynamics, how to trace transmission routes by integrating genomic and epidemiological data, and the strengths and limitations of these methods.