Liverpool is to headquarter the new Pandemic Institute, committed to helping the world prevent, prepare, and respond more effectively to pandemics.
Launching today, the Pandemic Institute is a medical, academic and civic partnership between the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool).
The partners have an unrivalled breadth of world-leading clinical, academic, public health and data-driven expertise, all co-located on one campus. The Institute will have significant global reach with collaborations and hubs located across the world.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Liverpool has pioneered innovative approaches including a whole city community testing pilot which cut transmission rates by a fifth, as well as hosting large-scale pilot events on behalf of the Government that provided evidence of how to safely reopen important sectors of the economy – developing Liverpool's reputation as a leader in pandemic management and resilience.
Initially funded by a £10 million gift from Innova Medical Group, a global health innovator and the world's largest provider of rapid antigen tests, the Pandemic Institute will be headquartered in The Spine, at Paddington Village. The Spine is soon to be designated one of the world's healthiest buildings and the newest addition to KQ Liverpool's impressive Health and Life Science campus.
The Pandemic Institute will offer world-leading clinical and research expertise across all stages of the pandemic lifecycle. It will have global reach, working across the world to deliver new science and build preparedness for future pandemics. The outputs of its work will be rapidly translated into tangible policy, solutions and activity, ensuring real world impact for governments, businesses and individuals across the globe.
The overall aim is to accelerate the global response to pandemics, unify global intelligence and increase the reach and impact of pandemic research.
Professor Matthew Baylis, Director of the Pandemic Institute and Chair of Veterinary Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, said: "The Pandemic Institute has the potential to help revolutionise how the world responds to pandemics.
"Uniquely, it will take a holistic view, from looking at future threats through to the response of communities and the healthcare system as well as treatments such as medicines and vaccines.
"Liverpool is perfectly placed to be the home for the Pandemic Institute - building on the foundations laid so far in the city, and its significant contributions in this field, Liverpool is a global city with expertise in many fields relevant to pandemics, including medical, tropical and veterinary research.
"We appreciate Innova's support of the Pandemic Institute, and recognise the impact and significance of their generous gift for the city of Liverpool and wider global community."
Daniel Elliott, CEO and President of Innova Medical Group, said: "Innova is committed to improving pandemic outcomes globally and we were attracted to Liverpool after being impressed by the unparalleled amount of large-scale pilot research programmes and the guidance on global public health policy that Liverpool provided during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We are passionate about supporting organisations that will make a difference and it is clear now that pandemics are the biggest threat to the health of the world's population, and that is why we are excited to support Liverpool's partners with the Pandemic Institute, which has the potential to save lives and improve health outcomes for communities across the globe."
FIVE REASONS WHY LIVERPOOL:
- Liverpool is unique within the Higher Education ecosystem globally, in hosting medical, veterinary, public health, tropical medicine and behavioural science schools and institutes. Liverpool has an unrivalled breadth of world-leading clinical and academic expertise in the domains required to deliver an end-to-end response to the challenge of both the current and future pandemics, all co-located on one campus.
- Liverpool has been at the centre of global pandemic research and science for many years. It boasts a unique ecosystem available to support the work of the Pandemic Institute. Furthermore, Liverpool is home to the world's brightest minds in infectious diseases, more than providing the expertise and capability required
- Liverpool is a national leader in genomic sequencing, the crucial first step to understanding a pathogen and developing vaccines and treatments.
- Liverpool hosts one of only five High Consequences Infectious Disease Units in the UK.
- A world leader in COVID-19 testing, with Liverpool the first city globally to undertake city-wide smart asymptomatic COVID-19 testing pilot.
A sample of the anticipated year one outputs from the Pandemic Institute include:
- Public health intelligence labs set up
- Category 3 GCP laboratories available
- Expansion and further development of on continent teams including in South East Asia, Africa and South America
- Physical space for open innovation in pathogen genomics operational
- Expanded clinical trial capacity building on the Agile model
- In-field genomic sequencing in final stages of testing and development
