“In the coming years, a cutting-edge and worldwide leading centre for infection research will emerge in Greifswald. If we look back on the recent COVID-19-dominated years, research on infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans and vice versa is more topical and important than ever before, and that on a global scale,” said Bettina Martin.
“For this reason and due to scientific recommendations, the new Helmholtz Institute will pursue a more extensive, interdisciplinary approach for combatting health-related challenges caused by zoonotic infectious diseases than previously planned. The research centre will be equipped with specialist high-security labs belonging to biosafety level 3. The new HIOH is of great importance, both for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a location for science and for worldwide infection research. For this reason, the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has decided to burden the additional construction costs after the Federal Government refused to extend its share of any further costs. Every euro that we invest in the immense field of future research at the interface between animals, humans and their environment is money well spent. The HIOH will attract leading scientists from all over the globe and create a research network of considerable international importance in Greifswald,” announced the Minister.
Professor Dr. Fabian Leendertz, Founding Director of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health in Greifswald said: “We are delighted that the State’s financial support provides us with the opportunity to establish a research institute that will be able to prepare us for and prevent future pandemics. We know that we can no longer consider human and animal health independently as they are closely related to one another, and to the environment. Our research is dedicated to the fundamental mechanisms in the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases that can be passed from humans to animals and vice versa, as well as to multidrug resistance.”
“As a close collaboration partner, the University of Greifswald is supporting the establishment of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health. Greifswald shall profit from the complementary One Health expertise on the doorstep, enabling us to approach considerable challenges faced by today’s society, such as the worldwide increase of infectious diseases, together,” said Prof. Dr. Katharina Riedel, Rector of the University of Greifswald.
The Helmholtz-Institute for One Health (HIOH) Greifswald is a branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) Braunschweig and closely linked to the University of Greifswald, University Medicine Greifswald, and the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in a partnership agreement. The opening ceremony took place in April 2022. Since then, HIOH has been working in provisional laboratories. The research team already comprises 65 international scientists. The institute’s new building shall be built on the Berthold-Beitz-Platz Campus in Greifswald. In order to be able to perform research on pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses with the same classification, the building will be equipped not only with laboratories for work at BSL-2 (biosafety level), but also with BSL-3 labs. The majority of newly emerging pathogens for humans are classified as biosafety level 3 (e.g. SARS-CoV-2, highly pathogenic influenza viruses, hantaviruses, monkeypox etc.). It will also be increasingly necessary to perform research into germs with strong antimicrobial resistance in BSL-3 laboratories.
The office and laboratory complex will cover an area of approx. 2600 m² and be constructed under the responsibility of HZI’s construction department.
The original construction costs amounted to 23 million euros that are to be borne fifty-fifty by the Federal Government and the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. With the additional funds of 15 million euros from the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the provisional overall costs of 38 million euros can now be financed. In addition, the institute shall receive start-up funds of approximately 36 million euros for the running and ongoing investments of the research centre. 90 percent of this amount shall be covered by the Federal Government and ten percent by the State.
This press release was published by the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs.
Contact at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health
Helmholtz Institute for One Health
Fleischmannstraße 42, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 3916 101
hioh-prhelmholtz-hzide
www.helmholtz-hioh.de/en