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Research Topics

The ESCAPE project will develop new insights, methods and blueprints to tackle a possible future 'Pathogen X' pandemic. 

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ESCAPE's main objective is to improve the efficiency and scalability of early pandemic response plans by providing stakeholders with evidence-based guidelines, standardised research protocols, retroactive insights and digital solutions. 

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The project will contribute to fostering an intelligent community allowing improved knowledge sharing and cooperation between policy-makers, the scientific community, the media and the public, ensuring a much more effective response to future pandemics.

 

Our research questions are grouped into four intersecting domains: 

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Data Readiness

  • identify data sources and studies with respect to availability, quality, sharing and comparability

  • create an atlas of cohort study designs to enhance preparedness

  • enhance and support data and protocol-sharing frameworks

Goals:

Goals:

Analytics & Tools

  • advance epidemic analytics and models to understand the transmission dynamics

  • improve and share digital tools to monitor and plan an efficient response

  • provide fast and precise estimators for key epidemiological characteristics

Analytics

Goals:

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Determinants of success

  • define indicators of ''success'' and ''failure'' across pandemic stages

  • collate data on determinants and indicators of success

  • analyse relationschips between country-level determinants and outcomes 

Goals:

Decision Aid

  • assess and categorise the epidemiology of pathogens with pandemic potential and categorise potential control measures

  • develop a decision tool to guide decision-makers

  • capture and incorporate feedback on the tool from policy-makers, technical advisors and practitioners

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Goals:

Project Outline

WP 2

Blueprint development

WP2: Blueprint Development

  1. Characterisation of Pathogens

  2. Decision Tool Development 

Lead: LSHTM

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WP 5

Determinants of success

WP5: Determinants of success

  1. Indicators of success and failure

  2. Statistical and efficiency analysis

  3. Understanding behavioural changes 

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Lead: UAntwerp

WP 3:

Data

Readiness

WP3

Data

Readiness

  1. Data needs and
    availability

  2. Improve data
    collection/access

  3. Sustainable data
    landscape

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Lead: ISI

WP 4:

Analytics

& tools

WP4

Analytics & Tools

  1. Infectious disease
    models

  2. Integration of
    genomic surveillance

  3. Software tool
    development

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Lead: RIVM

WP 1

Ethics Requirement

WP1: Ethics Requirement

Lead: UHasselt

WP 6

Intelligent Community

WP6: Intelligent Community

  1. Strenghtening the knowledge base

  2. Increase science literacy

  3. Dissemination to the community

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Lead: UHasselt

WP 7

Project Management

WP7: Project management

Lead: UHasselt

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