GISAID's contributions to global health security are made possible by extensive in-kind contributions, generous philanthrophophic grants and donations, we well as the continious dedication of countless volunteers around the world.
Explore the details for 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
During the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, GISAID’s global operations and technical development was made possible by countless volunteers, public in-kind contributions, grants, and generous donations from private and corporate philanthropy.
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In 2021 GISAID responded to a never-before-seen volume in genomic data submissions as new coronavirus variants of concern emerged. Thanks to ongoing in-kind and financial contributions, and the addition of the Rockefeller Foundation’s significant support to modernize the GISAID data science platform, GISAID grew to a team of 43 globally dispersed professionals, supported by numerous volunteers who lent their expertise.
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Despite historic volumes of coronavirus data submitted during the first half of 2022, GISAID managed to deploy two new databases to accommodate additional high-priority pathogens, i.e., RSV and Mpox. This was made possible thanks to increased in-kind contributions, and the ongoing support from the Rockefeller Foundation and philanthropic donations. This enabled GISAID to continue operating a globally dispersed team of ~52 professionals, complimented by many volunteers.
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In 2023, when the WHO’s announced COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), GISAID ramped up its efforts to incentivize timely data sharing to ensure that the genomic surveillance of the pandemic coronavirus, but also seasonal and avian influenza, RSV and Mpox viruses would continue strong. In late 2023, GISAID also addressed nations’ repeated calls for actionable data from arthropod-borne viruses by deploying the EpiArbo data platform, with an initial focus on Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses. Throughout the year, GISAID maintained its globally-dispersed team of 50 professionals and countless volunteers who helped GISAID achieve its mission. This was made possible thanks to the steadfast in-kind contributions, the ongoing support from industry and an extraordinary interim financing facilty to ensure GISAID was able to fulfill its commitment to the modernization of its data science platform.
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The year the GISAID Data Science Initiative reaffirmed its commitment to public health by shoring up its global operations, thanks to an increase of in-kind contributions that remain a key component of GISAID’s recipe for success. These include Singapore's long-term commitment to the GISAID Data Science Centre at A*STAR and Indonesia's commitment to hosting the GISAID Academy on the United in Diversity Campus in Bali. The fulfillment of the Rockefeller Foundation’s commitment to contribute funding to the modernization of the GISAID data science platform and the ongoing financial support from industry, allowed GISAID to maintain its global activities around the clock, by continuing to respond to ongoing health crises and maintaining its preparedness for future pandemics.
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During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic The Rockefeller Foundation awarded GISAID a $5.2 million grant in support of accelerating the advancement of its pathogen data sharing platform. GISAID's single largest grant at the time contributed to the modernization of GISAID's data science platform to further incentivize the global community of data producers to rapidly share data to enable real-time responses and the development of lifesaving countermeasures. Rockefeller Foundation
GISAID was a partner in the PREDEMICS consortium (Preparedness, Prediction and Prevention of Emerging Zoonotic Viruses with Pandemic Potential using Multidisciplinary Approaches) and leader of WP4 on “Sharing Platforms” to provide software to accommodate the development of databases for three other PREDEMICS viruses: Flaviviruses, Lyssaviruses and Hepeviruses, in addition to Influenza viruses. PREDEMICS
APHL awarded a grant to GISAID under the Enhancing Communication and Information Sharing among International Influenza Networks project, for the development of data-routing technology, enabling GISAID users to provide selected metadata in real-time to other international platforms, advancing the standardization of metadata and the sharing and interpretation of NGS data; and the further development of software for the annotation of phylogenetic trees. APHL
Funding was awarded to GISAID for the enhancement of GISAID’s database application through the Max-Planck-Society and its Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken, responsible for the development of GISAID’s EpiFlu™ database v1.0.
Max-Planck-Foundation
The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), provided initial funding for the development of the first EpiFlu™ database application, citing Switzerland's long-standing tradition of neutrality and the presence of the World Health Organization in Geneva and the Lausanne-based biotech company SmartGene. SERI FOPH
The U.S. Government provided the first public funding to kickstart the development of GISAID's EpiFlu™ database application, through a cooperative agreement between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. One of the key goals that was achieved was the timely sharing of data among the WHO Collaborating Centers and National Influenza Centers for the bi-annual influenza vaccine virus recommendations by the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS).