The observatory that has been developed by WP5 will be a valuable source of information for analyzing and understanding #Research and 

In December 2022, Work Package 3 (WP3) of the consortium delivered the synthetic report, containing an overview of the gaps, challenges, priorities and strategies for pandemic preparedness and research and innovation. Through the means of a gap analysis, gaps and priorities in preparedness and response were identified and synthesized.

On January 10th, 2024, the first BE READY Workshop “Development and Priorities: The European Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Pandemic Preparedness (TBC)” will take place in Vienna, Austria.

The purpose of this meeting was to provide stakeholders, as well as European and international organizations engaged in pandemic preparedness, with detailed insights into the BE READY initiative and the development of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).  The SRIA serves as a comprehensive guideline adopted by all EU Member States, facilitating coordinated efforts in pandemic/epidemic preparedness research and innovation

Organized by HADEA (the Health and Digital Executive Agency), the objective of the meeting, which was attended by the BE READY coordinator, WP6 leader and a representative of WP5, was to trigger cooperation and networking among projects working on similar issues. Representatives from HADEA, as well as from the European Commission (DG Research and Innovation, DG Santé, HERA) and the ECDC, were present, making the event a fruitful occasion for discussion and mutual knowledge.

BE READY officially started on June 1st, 2022. On September 19th, the BE READY project launched publicly its activities in Paris, France.

BE READY stands for “Building a European strategic Research and Innovation Area in Direct Synergy with EU and International Initiatives for Pandemic Preparedness” and is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded with 2 million euros by the European Commission.

Since the early 1900s, there have been at least eleven serious viral outbreaks, caused by pandemic pathogens which span five virus families. Examples are Monkeypox virus, Ebola and the resurgence of polio. Epidemics can also be vector-borne, e.g. Zika or Chikungunya. In addition, many other new viruses have been emerging in recent decades driven by population growth, climate change, human behaviour, increased zoonotic transmission from animals and habitat loss.