Viral outbreaks and epidemics continue to impose high mortality and morbidity burdens on mankind and animals, thus emphasizing the urgent need for improvement and innovation in the development of new antiviral strategies. While it is clear that viral replication, metabolic pathways, and host immune responses are tightly interconnected, the molecular pathways and impact on viral pathogenesis are not well-defined and will be the focus of INITIATE. A detailed understanding of the role of metabolic regulation of the host innate immune response with regard to antiviral response and inflammation, together with knowledge of the strategies used by viruses to exploit these pathways, will fundamentally change clinical intervention in the treatment of pathogenic viral diseases.

INITIATE brings together world leaders in virology, inflammation, innate immunity, and immunometabolism to educate a new generation of research scientists with interdisciplinary expertise in virology, immunology, and immunometabolism. INITIATE includes partners from 7 academic institutes and 3 industrial partners from 7 countries. The consortium will host 15 PhD students – Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), each performing an individual research project at one of the partners.