WASHINGTON and PARIS, July 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Rockefeller Foundation’s Pandemic Prevention Institute (PPI) and the Pasteur Network have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance early detection and reporting for emerging and reemerging diseases and build a robust decentralized global surveillance network that strengthens local capacity for sharing high-quality data across countries. The collaboration aims to enhance the effectiveness of the Pandemic Prevention Institute and the Pasteur Network’s 33 member institutions in both addressing infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and monkeypox, and informing interventions against them.

“Our work with the Pasteur Network will undoubtedly make a transformational impact on global health security, leveraging the ability to advance equitable data-sharing practices that will provide key stakeholders and decision-makers with timely, more accurate and relevant information to make critical health and policy decisions,” said Dr. Rick Bright, CEO of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Pandemic Prevention Institute. “Our collective aim is to advance access to pathogen surveillance, genomic sequencing, analytics, and data sharing tools in low- and middle-income countries and to foster sentinel laboratory networks for early disease detection.”

“This MoU is a major milestone in our collaboration with The Rockefeller Foundation and the PPI that could lead to significant impact in epidemic and pandemic preparedness. Together, the Pasteur Network and PPI are an effective combination of complementary talents and capacity to address global health threats said Dr. Amadou Sall, President of the Pasteur Network.

“We are proud to support this initiative. This important, historic partnership will provide much-needed support to capacity building and epidemic intelligence,” said Professor Stewart Cole, President of the Pasteur Network foundation that contributes to the Pasteur Network’s development.

Over the coming years, the partnership will focus primarily on the following areas:

• Advancing global equitable data sharing to provide key stakeholders and decision-makers with an analytical toolset that leverages timely, more accurate and relevant data and information
• Bolstering epidemiological and genomic surveillance in low- and middle-income countries to track emerging pathogen variants and transmission for real-time analyses, as well as advancing access to pathogen surveillance and analytical tools, such as digital apps
• Enhancing discovery of emerging and reemerging high consequence pathogens, generating a diversity of essential disease surveillance data streams in areas such as zoonosis, anti-microbial resistance and water borne diseases
• Building fit for purpose data analytics and disease discovery and forecasting systems, informed by the organizations’ partner networks, that are relevant, sustainable, and equitable at the local, state, and pan-regional level

The partnership will also focus on interdisciplinary research projects addressing the causes of outbreaks and epidemics. The combined networks will maintain local and regional structures to foster a permanent operational force and share technologies, systems, practices, and techniques with their networks.

Pasteur Network, previously known as the Institut Pasteur International Network, is a worldwide network of members which contribute to global health. This unique model of cooperation brings together, beyond the independent public or private structures that form the Network, a human and scientific community collectively mobilized for both local, regional and global health priorities. The members of Pasteur Network share the same mission to improve health through biomedical research, public health activities, training, and innovation. For more information, visit: https://pasteur-network.org/en/about/who-we-are/ and follow-on Linkedin: Pasteur Network and Twitter:@InstitutPasteur

The Rockefeller Foundation’s Pandemic Prevention Institute (PPI) is mission-driven to contribute to the crucial work of building systems that detect, prevent, and mitigate pandemic threats, leading to rapid, effective containment. The PPI is pursuing its mission through the integration of cutting-edge technology and analytic approaches that turn data into action that drives life-saving decisions; a federated network of data users and holders with global representation; and collaborative leadership at the global level. For more information on partners, data solutions and more visit www.ppi.org and follow us on Twitter: @PPI_Insights and LinkedIn: The Pandemic Prevention Institute..

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food.  For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn.