About

Drug resistant tuberculosis (credit: CDC)

Established in 2017, VALIDATE is an international network of researchers working together to accelerate vaccine development for three groups of complex neglected intracellular pathogens that cause significant mortality and morbidity throughout the world, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs): Mycobacteria (causing tuberculosis, leprosy and other diseases), Leishmania (causing leishmaniasis) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (causing melioidosis). A second, important aim of the VALIDATE Network is to facilitate career progression for its members, particularly Early Career Researchers, and (recognising career progression inequity) researchers from LMICs and researchers identifying as female. 

 

VALIDATE connects over 880 members from 364 institutes across 78 countries (49 LMIC), increasing collaboration among its membership, and increasing information dissemination across different research disciplines, countries, institutes, both target and model species, and across our focus pathogens; we have a multidisciplinary and One Health approach. We provide this central hub website, which highlights grants, jobs and training opportunities in our research field, as well as shared SOPs and data-sets; award Fellowship, pump-priming, training and travel grants; organise events, including an Annual Meeting, workshops, research seminars, public lectures and school talks; and have mentoring and equipment exchange schemes. To date the Network and our various activities have so far facilitated over 100 new collaborations, produced 72 peer-reviewed publications, and attracted £16m in follow-on funding for VALIDATE and its members. 

 

The VALIDATE Network is led by Director Prof Samantha Sampson (Stellenbosch University, South Africa), Co-Directors Prof Andrea Cooper (University of Leicester, UK), Dr Maria Adelaida Gómez (CIDEIM, Colombia), and Prof Helen McShane (University of Oxford, UK), with Executive Manager & Co-Investigator Samantha Vermaak (University of Oxford, UK). Membership is free and open to all - to find out more (and to join VALIDATE) just look around on this website, or get in touch with our team at VALIDATE@ndm.ox.ac.uk.

 

Our Aims

  • Accelerate vaccine R&D for TB, leishmaniasis, melioidosis, and leprosy
  • Create an engaged and interactive international research community of members all working towards efficacious vaccines for our focus pathogens
  • Create new cross-pathogen, cross-continent, cross-species, and cross-discipline research collaborations
  • Fund important research via Pump-priming and Fellowship grants
  • Facilitate CPD and career progression for our members, particularly early career and LMIC researchers
  • Provide useful and relevant information to our Members about research, and funding and CPD opportunities
  • Influence government, funders and the media on the importance of vaccine development for these pathogens
  • Help interested people in the general public find out more about our research and the diseases we’re tackling in an accessible format

Where to find more information

DNA analysis (credit: CDC)

 

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If you have any queries, or any ideas for how we can better serve our members, please get in touch: VALIDATE@ndm.ox.ac.uk