What is InnoVirology
Like viruses themselves, the scientific discipline of Virology has evolved from the study of viruses, to overlap and intertwine with many other scientific disciplines, both traditional and contemporary. As these developments into new areas of science such as gene therapy in treating cancers, reverse genetics in biotechnological assay development and nanotechnology in vaccine design continue to grow, so too does that gap in what knowledge being transferred to students working in the traditional fields of virology
and these emerging fields.
The objectives of this project are to build on a network of European virologists, teachers, trainers and experts in their respective fields of virology, to consolidate all of the training material and techniques that are currently being used. Novel material provided by the partners will contribute to online Virology courses, social and interactive applications and educational games for teachers and the general public, and the establishing of a European diploma of virology.
The eight core participants that make up the viroTEAM are from different training institutions across Europe each with world leading expertise in their respective areas of Virology. The partner countries are Spain, UK, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Serbia.
The main outcomes of this project will include:
- Formation of a European Network of Virology Trainers and Educators
- Establishing of a European Virology training and educational Virology Website
- A European laboratory training manual for teachers and trainers
- Online Virology Courses
- Quarterly partner-hosted Virology webinars on a topical area of virology for the Public
- An educational smartphone app
- A collaborative textbook for training in Virology
- Social media dedicated to Virology.
The impact of this project is far reaching, but most importantly includes an improvement in the quality of teaching Virology and optimization of the training resources from the EU. Additionally, developing novel strategies in teaching and disseminating information to students will modernize the way the Virology will be taught.