GLACIER Workshop: From Immunology to Bioactive Compounds

On 5–6 July 2023, GLACIER fellows, scientists, and interested parties met for the GLACIER workshop “From Immunology to Bioactive Compounds” in Halle at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB). The German–Latin American Centre of Infection & Epidemiology Research and Training – GLACIER is an international multidisciplinary research collaboration, which brings together leading research institutions conducting research on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in Germany, Mexico, Cuba, and six Central American countries.

GLACIER fellows presented their current state of research, and the programme featured several talks by renowned scientists in the GLACIER focus areas of immunology, vaccine, and drug discovery as well as social sciences. The GIGA acts as a bridge between life sciences and social sciences. GIGA researcher and project member Valeria Morales attended the workshop and presented her paper “The politics of COVID-19 vaccination: the Central American experience”.

During the workshop session, questions such as How to intensify the collaboration within the GLACIER consortium in the future? and How to increase the participation of the smaller Latin American countries of the project in the network? were lively discussed in interdisciplinary groups. During the dinner that followed, we were able to continue exchanging ideas and making contacts in an informal atmosphere. It was a very successful event that offered the participants a lot of input and networking opportunities.