Helmholtz Institute Greifswald

The Helmholtz Institute in Greifswald is being established as a branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and will be closely linked to the University of Greifswald, the University Medicine Greifswald and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut through a scientific cooperation agreement.

The new institute will follow a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to tackle health challenges arising from infectious diseases in line with the “One Health“ concept. The “One Health” Concept acknowledges that human health is tightly connected to the health of animals and an intact environment.

Globalization, climate change, increased human mobility, intensified livestock farming, as well as increasing urbanization and loss of natural habitats are the main causes of outbreaks and rapid spread of infections. Pathogens spread globally, break species barriers and frequently develop multi-resistance. A global problem is also the lack of anti-infectives and vaccines. The current outbreak of COVID-19 dramatically demonstrates that our understanding of the origin and transmission of zoonotic infections is still limited and underlines the urgent global need for more effective preventive and therapeutic measures to control pandemic spread. The new institute will address this need and thus fill a critical gap.