AVITHRAPID introduced at SC25 exhibition
The AVITHRAPID consortium had a great opportunity to present its ambitious objectives and results during the International Conference for High Performance computing, networking, storage, and analysis in St. Louis, US, on November 17th-21st. SC is an unparalleled mix of thousands of scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, programmers, and developers who intermingle to learn, share, and grow. A worldwide event to meet and interact with industry, research organizations, universities, and startups joining together from across the globe. 16,500 attendees and 559 exhibitors met during the 4-days event. IT4Innovations at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, partner of AVITHRAPID, presented project’s activities, findings and milestones to a passionate scientific audience and showcased a digital presentation to the public. Our partner reported 383 unique attendees of the IT4I booth. Net
AVITHRAPID met evaluators for the interim review
The Avithrapid consortium successfully passed the interim review after an in-depth interview with the evaluators in September. In the consolidated report, the reviewers acknowledged that “the project has achieved most of its objectives and milestones for the period, with relatively minor deviations” and “has delivered significant results in evaluating antiviral compounds, identifying promising candidates against dengue and SARS-CoV-2 viruses”. It is contributing to “the development of peptide–porphyrin conjugates and an innovative AI/ML platform for drug discovery“. As a result, the development of rapid antiviralworkflow “may increase preparedness capabilities for future outbreaks“. In parallel and as added value, the consortium “has carried out outstanding dissemination and outreach activities through various channels, promoting public engagement”. This positive outcome marks an important milestone — validating AVITHRAPID’s approach and motivating all partners to accelerate the next phase of implementation.
European Researchers’ Night at Frascati Scienza
Frascati Scienza celebrated 20 years of science, passion, and curiosity with the 2025 edition of the European Researchers’ Night. The event filled squares, schools, museums, and institutions throughout Italy with a week packed with events dedicated to scientific dissemination: a journey through STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics – culminating on September 26, 2025, with the European Researchers’ Night. The European Researchers’ Night was the opportunity to introduce the AVITHRAPID project to the research community and the general public. It brought its results to researchers closer to the public, attracting over 30.000 visitors to all events, while increasing the interest of young people in science and research careers and showing how researchers’ work affects our daily lives. Francesca Ceccherini Silberstein with her team from University of Rome Tor Vergata distributed and illustrated some dissemination material prepared for this specific event. Poster
AREVIR Meeting in Cologne
The 25th AREVIR Meeting featured a special joint session dedicated to AVITHRAPID projectThis session also included presentations by the lead scientists from different projects, covering preliminary activities, current findings, and future steps to address evolving challenges. EuResist, member of AVITHRAPID consortium, presented the project to an audience of more than 100 people (infectious diseases specialists, virologists, AI researchers), as part of the international meeting that has been held in Cologne for over 15 years. Francesca Incardona’s talk highlighted AVITHRAPID’s rapid-response approach to future pandemics, leveraging high-performance computing and real-world collaboration across disciplines. The session also featured contributions from leading scientists on data-driven surveillance, WGS-based severity prediction, and cross-national health data integration. Program
AVITHRAPID and Area Science Park Join Forces to Drive Antiviral Innovation
AVITHRAPID has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Area Science Park, a leading Italian research hub, to accelerate innovation in antiviral therapeutics and preventive strategies. This agreement marks a significant step forward in strengthening Europe’s ability to anticipate, prevent, and respond to future infectious disease threats. At its core lies a shared ambition: to build a sustainable infrastructure for pandemic preparedness and promote the 100-Day Response Framework—a model designed to identify effective clinical candidates against emerging pathogens within the first 100 days of an outbreak. Building on Three Pillars The 100-Day Response Framework is based on: Rapid pathogen characterization High-throughput screening of compound libraries to explore drug repurposing opportunities Acceleration of translational pipelines to move promising candidates quickly toward the clinic Advanced Platforms and Joint Opportunities Through its PRP@CERIC infrastructure, Area Science Park contributes advanced technological platforms and innovative strategies to the collaboration, strengthening Europe’s capacity to counter viral infections. Beyond scientific cooperation, the MoU also opens the door to: European joint funding initiatives Science communication and public engagement around pandemic response and infectious diseases These efforts aim not only to empower the scientific community, but also to foster a better-informed society and a more resilient healthcare ecosystem. The Market Case for Antivirals While vaccines play a crucial role in public health, they are often not available during the critical early window of a viral outbreak. Antiviral molecules, by contrast, can provide immediate therapeutic options—helping reduce severity, transmission, and pressure on healthcare systems. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of small-molecule antivirals which significantly reduced hospitalizations and deaths. Yet the antiviral market remains underdeveloped compared to vaccines, largely due to fragmented investment, long development cycles, and limited commercial incentives. This gap represents both a risk and an opportunity: Risk, because without a diversified antiviral pipeline, the world remains vulnerable to novel and re-emerging pathogens. Opportunity, because advancing broad-spectrum and repurposed molecules can open a new strategic market for rapid-response therapeutics, complementing vaccines and strengthening global health security. By investing in antiviral discovery and development, AVITHRAPID and its partners are not only driving scientific innovation but also reshaping the preparedness market—where speed, adaptability, and accessibility will define the healthcare responses of tomorrow.