The Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in West Africa is not under control. This proposal has immediate, mid-term and long-term objectives to combat the current and future EVD epidemics. Objectives with immediate impact are: (i) Providing key information needed to implement efficient convalescent plasma treatment and a toolkit to determine the suitability of plasma for treatment; (ii) Providing key information needed to estimate the efficacy of experimental vaccines, including correlates of protection at T cell level; (iii) Improving supportive treatment of patients and reducing hospital case fatality rate by providing information on biomarkers and relevant co-infections; (iv) Monitoring development of mutations in Ebola virus (EBOV) genomes during the epidemic and enhancing our preparedness to determine the relevance of these changes in experimental systems; and (v) Protecting health care workers and communities by providing information on virus shedding in body fluids and estimation of infectiousness in various stages of EVD. Objectives with mid to long-term impact are: (i) Provide information on pathophysiological changes and immunological determinants to infer new immunotherapeutic strategies for treatment of EVD; and (ii) Strengthening cooperation of biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) facilities and building a pan-European research area in the field of highly pathogenic viruses as envisaged in the ‘European Research Infrastructure on Highly Pathogenic Agents’ project. The concept of EVIDENT is to scientifically exploit specimens collected from EVD patients during outbreak response and field research. We will use state-of-the-art methodologies within the EU BSL-4 facilities to gather new and outbreak-relevant knowledge on B and T cell immunology, biomarkers, virus evolution, virulence determinants, and transmission of EBOV. The consortium contributes to the outbreak response since March 2014 and is competent to implement a project in the outbreak area.

ERINHA2 aims to complete the work carried out during the first preparatory phase (PP1) - ERINHA - in order to reach the financial, administrative and technical maturity necessary to complete the establishment of the Research Infrastructre and ensure that the operation phase can begin in 2018. ERINHA2 will therefore finalise the decision to use the status of an association and prepare the necessary legal document to register the RI depending on the country voted on to host the Central Coordinating Unit. ERINHA2 will prepare all procedures and protocols (human resources, IPR, ethics) needed to effectively operate the RI. The financial and business plans prepared in ERINHA (PP1) will updated and presented to national and international stakeholders to obtain their agreement to fund the infrastructure. An overarching group of activities - WP5, Stakeholders and commitment - will aim to accompany all partner countries in their efforts to obtain agreements and funding. This WP5 will ensure all relevant stakeholders and potential users are informed of the progress, services and benefits of ERINHA. The utlimate outcome of ERINHA2 will be the signtature of the ERINHA statutes among the founding countries to officially establish the RI and enter into the construction phase.