Infectious diseases and drug resistance are a lethal combination. ViBrANT will attack pathogens at the first opportunity: when they adhere to the host.

About Us

The Innovative Training Network ViBrANT (Viral and Bacterial Adhesin Network Training) brings together world-leading European scientists to train 15 graduate students (early stage researchers) in interdisciplinary research into viral and bacterial adhesins.

ViBrANT is an intersectoral network of nine academic institutions, one non-profit research institute, three SMEs, and one large enterprise. Our aim is that the students will translate fundamental research into technologies with a strong positive impact on European socio-economic development and the care of patients with infectious diseases – both during their PhDs and after.

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How Does ViBrANT Work?

The focus of ViBrANT is on the adhesion of pathogens to human cells, as we believe it is an underexplored and underexploited niche that can lead to new understanding, new diagnostics and devices and, eventually, new treatments. We want to contribute to the emerging problem in infectious diseases. We want to prevent the “antibiotic apocalypse” – when even an ear infection can be fatal.

In addition to standard work in a single laboratory, students will be part of innovative approaches to graduate school education. Each project will be multidisciplinary, international and intersectoral. They will include training in workshops, organising conferences, and the use of Blogs, Vlogs, Twitter etc to maximise scientific impact and public engagement.

Our goal in ViBrANT is to produce next-gen researchers – ones as at home in industry as in academia, as familiar with hospitals and infections as they are with high-tech and instruments, ones who can enthuse everyone from second-form students to the blogosphere to senior citizens. We envision that they will be in demand throughout Europe and the world, and their research and outreach will make a huge difference both socially and economically.

ViBrANT also plans to be a model for how to train next-gen scientists and how to run a PhD training program, one that will become part of an Europe-wide benchmark for excellence in research training, and one that our students will take with and improve upon as they move forward in their careers.

Vibrant Coordination

Prof. Adrian Goldman

Holds the Chair in Membrane Biology at the University of Leeds

Overall Coordinator
Prof. Nicole Pamme

Professor in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Hull

Chair, Training
Prof. Alex van Belkum

A global director of microbiology research at bioMerieux

Chair, Research Impact
Prof. Volkhard Kempf

Professor in Medical Microbiology and Infection Control at the University of Frankfurt

Chair, Ethics
Prof. Dirk Linke

Professor in Molecular Microbiology at the Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo

Chair, Dissemination
Prof. Sarah J. Butcher

Head of the Division of General Microbiology in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Research Director in the Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences

Chair, Equal Opportunities
Prof. Paul Millner

Professor of Bionanotechnology, within the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds

Beneficiaries
Asst. Prof. Johan Malmström

Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Sciences and the director for the cross-faculty ‘Centre of excellence in biological and medical mass spectrometry’ (CEBMMS) at Lund University

Beneficiaries
Dr. Nadia Izadi-Pruneyre

Dr. Nadia Izadi-Pruneyre is a group leader at Institut Pasteur, and a Research Director at CNRS. She is also the deputy chair of the Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry.

Beneficiaries
Prof. Michael Nilges

Head of the Pasteur unit structural bioinformatics and chairman of the structural biology and chemistry department at Institute Pasteur

Beneficiaries
Dr. Sally A. Peyman

University Academic Fellow, an early career position held jointly between the Schools of Physics and Astronomy and Medicine at the University of Leeds

Beneficiaries
Asst. Prof. Lígia R. Rodrigues

Vice-Head of the Department of Biological Engineering at University of Minho (UM, Portugal)

Beneficiaries
Dr. Carla Joana Silva

Chief Technology Officer at CeNTI (Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials in Portugal)

Beneficiaries
Prof. Thilo Stehle

Professor in Biochemistry and Vice Dean of Research of the Faculty of Science at the Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry (IFIB) of the University of Tübingen

Beneficiaries
Dr. Carina Almeida

Co-founder of Biomode S.A. and an Associate Researcher of the National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinary Research (INIAV)

Partners
Dr. Ian Eastwood

Technical Director of Eluceda Ltd.

Partners
Digitronix

Creative Digital Agency in Leeds

Partners
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