The research focus of the iDfellows-programme centres around global and emerging infections, thus addressing the most pressing questions of our times and of the future.

Even before the present SARS-CoV2 pandemic, it was an illusion to think that infectious diseases were primarily a challenge of the past, which has been overcome by improved hygiene and antibiotics. On the contrary, antibiotics have lost much of their effectiveness due to increasing antibiotic resistance and lack of novel antibiotic classes, representing one of the greatest threats to humankind (Balaban et al., 2019; Huemer et at., 2021; Huemer et al., 2020).

At the same time, the risk of epidemic and pandemic infections both of known and newly emerging infectious agents, in particular viruses, but also antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as EHEC, is increasing due to globalization, travel, growing world population and animal health issues of both wild and domestic animals.

Also, despite encouraging progress in recent years, the major global infections HIV, TB, malaria, and viral hepatitis remain major health threats (Triant et al., 2021; Ponatshego et al., 2021, Hicks et al., 2020). They require both scientific, as well as clinical progress.

The topics that will constitute the research portfolio of iDfellows will focus particularly on: