Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID)

The MCID is a multidisciplinary strategic center at the University of Bern dedicated to the study and mitigation of healthcare, societal, ethical, and economic risks from infectious diseases. The MCID brings together high impact academic researchers with the aim of determining the origins of infectious disease risks, preparing for and managing these risks.

The launch of the MCID has been made possible through a generous donation by the Vinetum Foundation.

Download the MCID brochure in English, German or French for an overview of the MCID and its activities and sign up to receive the MCID newsletter to read quarterly news from the center.

Quick links

MCID Annual Event, 6th July 2023: registration now open

MCID-funded research

MCID Core Activities

MCID newsletter, The SPREAD

Vorherige Weitere

News and events

See here for information about upcoming events

MCID seminar series

The MCID has launched a lunchtime seminar series. Next invited seminar speaker: Dr. Sabine Bavamian (Thurs. 27th April, 12.30-13.30). See here for the full seminar program.

MCID Member Evangelos Karousis receives Holcim Stiftung Wissen award

MCID Career Development Grantee Evangelos Karousis has been awarded a Holcim Stiftung Wissen fellowship, allowing him to establish himself as a junior group leader at the DCBP from January 2023

Tweets von @unibern

MCID Ethics and Policy Lab and Oeschger Center (OCCR) host a boot camp on politics organised by the Franxini Project

The boot camp, to be held on 7th and 8th June, will be open to members of the MCID and OCCR keen to learn more about policy engagement in Switzerland.

MCID sponsors the Middle Eastern Biology of Parasitism summer school 2023

MeBoP, the Middle Eastern Biology of Parasitism summer school 2023, will be held from July 23rd until August 5th at the University of Bern. Open to applicants from the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, this course provides high-level teaching and training on a wide-range of parasitology topics.

MCID launches its quarterly newsletter, The SPREAD

The MCID has launched the first issue of its quarterly newsletter, The SPREAD. Read here to be updated on the MCID's activities and news and to read about infectious disease research from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

Nicola Low and collaborators address unanswered questions on mpox transmission

Nicola Low, vice-chair of the WHO's Mpox Emergency Committee and MCID Epidemiology cluster chair, identifies unanswered questions on the role of sexual contact in mpox transmission in an article published in PLOS Medicine. Prof. Low and international collaborators provide a framework for cross-national research studies involving existing cohorts and multi-disciplinary teams to address these questions, ultimately aiming to inform policy makers and to aid prevention.

BEready Cohort information event

On 16th February the MCID BEready Cohort team will welcome cantonal and national representatives from health, education, politics, media and academic research to an information meeting. In this meeting, attendees will be introduced to the plans for the "Bern, get ready" Cohort pilot study and presented with initial results of an online survey of the Bernese population.

MCID Ethics and Policy lab: research ethics workshop

On 7th March, the Ethics and Policy Lab will workshop on research ethics, open to MCID researchers.

MCID Co-Chair, Volker Thiel, to act as member of the Swiss Covid-19 Scientific Advisory Panel

Volker Thiel will provide coronavirus expertise as a member of the Covid-19 Scientific Advisory Panel, formed to provide independent analysis and advice on behalf of the Swiss government.

New Co-presidents of the SCNAT Biology Platform

MCID Co-Chair, Carmen Faso and Irene Adrian-Kalchhauser, head of FIWI, Vetsuisse, take on co-presidency of the SCNAT Biology Platform

MCID Members awarded the Charles C. Shepard award for their work on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

Microbiology cluster members Fabien Labroussaa, Jenna Kelly, Ronald Dijkman, Jörg Jores, Charaf Benarafa, Volker Thiel and collaborators awarded the Charles C. Shepherd award for scientific excellence for their Nature paper on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (click for publication).

Registration open: European Mucosal Immunology Group meeting 2023

Registration is now open for the 12th European Mucosal Immunology Group Meeting, to be held in Bern from 12th-14th July 2023. Early registration closes on 28th February.

Register now: 16th International Nidovirus Symposium

Registration is now open for the 16th International Nidovirus Symposium to be held in Montreux, Switzerland from 14th-18th May 2023.

Scientific policy advice in times of crisis

MCID Society and Law cluster members Johanna Hornung, Fritz Sager and Caroline Schlaufer, together with collaborators from the Universities of Lausanne and St. Gallen, have conducted a study on policy advice during times of crisis, including the Covid-19 pandemic. This study forms the basis of recommendations by the Swiss Science Council (SWR).

MCID Members write a thesis paper linked to the revision of the Swiss Epidemics Act (EpidA)

MCID researchers, Christian Althaus, Caroline Schlaufer, Annika Frahsa and Susanne Hadorn, together with Marcel Zwahlen have written a thesis paper commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) as input for the ongoing revision of the Swiss Epidemics Act (EpidA).

Nicola Low and Gilles Wandeler discuss plans for the BEready Cohort

MCID BEready Cohort Leads, Prof. Dr. med. Nicola Low and Prof. Dr. med. Gilles Wandeler are interviewed by Marius Aschwanden on the long-term health monitoring of the Bernese population in preparedness for future infectious disease threats. They discuss plans for the BEready Cohort and the ongoing canton-wide survey currently underway. Click here to see the full article in Der Bund (subscription required).

Symposium for Emerging Viral Diseases, 7th-9th December, Geneva

In December 2022, the Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases will host a 3rd Symposium on Emerging Viral Diseases. Registration is now open for attendance in person and online. MCID Members Christian Althaus, Emma Hodcroft and Volker Thiel are amongst those invited to speak. See here for more information...

Registration closing soon: SSTMP-SSTTM joint meeting

On 10th and 11th November, the Swiss Society of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology and Swiss Society of Tropical and Travel Medicine will hold a joint annual meeting. See here for program and registration details.

Dr. Caroline Brall is interviewed in the Schweizerische Ärtztezeitung

Caroline Brall, Manager of Ethics at the MCID Ethics and Policy Lab, is interviewed on the subject of ethics discussion topics during the Covid-19 pandemic and what advice she has for the coming winter months.

MCID awards six Early-Career Research Grants for Women

Congratulations to the six recipients of MCID Early-Career Research Grants for Women: Dr. Emilie Seydoux, Dr. Bettina Zimmermann, Dr. Caroline Schlaufer, Dr. Jessica Laine Carmeli, Dr. Susanne Hadorn and Dr. Saskia Keller. We look forward to these new projects beginning in early 2023.

Dr. Maximilian Filsinger speaks at the "Polit-Forum and DeFacto Live in Bern" event

On 27th September from 18.30, Dr. Filsinger will take part in a debate live at the Käfigturm, Bern (also available via a YouTube livestream) entitled "Welche Folgen hat eine Pandemie auf unser weiteres Zusammenleben?". Covering the topic of Covid-19 and its political and social consequences, Dr. Filsinger plans to talk about the MCID-funded project "Divided pandemic society and Public Health. Polarization in the Covid-19 pandemic response in Switzerland".

MCID at the 2022 Nacht der Forschung

The MCID will have a range of activities for all ages at the Nacht der Forschung on 10th September (16.00-24.00). We are looking forward to your visit at the "Achtung, ansteckend" station.

MCID Members awarded NRP79 "Advancing 3R" funding

Members of the MCID Immunology Cluster, Prof. Dr. med. Andrew Macpherson and Prof. Dr. Siegfried Hapfelmeier have been awarded SNSF NRP 79 funding for "3R in animal experiments" projects entitled, respectively, "EXPLOR3R: Exploring 3R with experimental ethics" and "Using Zophobas morio larvae to design a new in vivo model of intestinal colonisation due to multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales". See here for details of all funded projects.

MCID Members chosen as members of the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox

MCID Members Prof. Dr. Kathrin Summermatter and Prof. Dr. med. Nicola Low have been made members of the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox.

Registration is now open for the Rigi Workshop 2023: Infectious diseases as drivers of change

From 29th to 31st January 2023, the Rigi workshop will take place at Mount Rigi-Kulm, organised by the SCNAT, SSTMP and others. This workshop, "Infectious diseases as drivers of change: a scientific and historical perspective on past, present, and future" will look at infectious diseases from an interdisciplinary point of view, covering both societal and technological impacts. See here for more details and to register.

MCID Ethics and Policy lab: Public policy workshop

On 12th September, the Ethics and Policy Lab will hold a first workshop on public policy

Integrating scientific findings into political processes: possibilities and limitations

Dr. Johanna Hornung and Dr. Caroline Schlaufer of the MCID Ethics and Policy Cluster discuss this topic in the "décodage" blog of the SAGW (Schweizerische Akademie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften).

MCID-Monkeypox Event, 29th June 2022

On 29th June, from 18.00-19.00, the MCID will host a monkeypox information event on Twitter Spaces

MCID Opening Event and Scientific Symposium

On the 9th and 10th June the MCID held its Official Opening Event and first annual Scientific Symposium. See here for more details about the event and a full program.

MCID launches a new call for research project funding: the Early-Career Research Grant for Women

On 1st March 2022 the MCID Bern launched a new research project funding call: the Early-Career Research Grant for Women. The deadline for applications is Friday 20th May 2022.

MCID member PD Dr. Christian Althaus starts lecture series at Collegium generale

The Collegium generale at the University of Bern begins a new new lecture series titled "Thinking the End". On Wednesday, 23 February 2022, MCID member PD Dr. Christian Althaus will give the first lecture with his thoughts about the end of a pandemic.

MCID-Omicron Event, December 8th 2021

Newly founded: A multidisciplinary center for research into infectious diseases and immunity

Vorherige Weitere

More News