Concept and approach
EVA is a single entry point virus collection offering viral resources to the virology community, including researchers and public health stakeholders, through a centralized online portal. Bringing together a network of international academic institutes with expertise in virology, EVA uses state of the art technology for continuously implementing the portal with viruses and virus-derived products, reinforcing the global capacity for virology research and response to viral threats.
EVA PORTAL
The EVA Portal provides a comprehensive overview on all EVA qualified resources and capacities: viruses, reagents, platforms, protocols, processes as well as trainings and expertise available from all the partners. This unique platform is regularly updated and constitutes an indispensable resource for virus research projects with a perspective of epidemic/pandemic preparedness and response. Our ultimate goal is to provide access to standardised diagnostic, therapeutic and research tools that will significantly enhance global efforts to control diseases and improve human and animal health.
A commitment to quality
We ensure the highest level of reliability and traceability through a robust Quality Management System:
- Silver-, Gold- and Platinum-grade products according to EVA quality criteria.
- Regular audits and partner support.
- Alignment with international norms (ISO 20387:2018, ISO 13485:2016, etc.).
Our goal is to deliver safe, rigorously characterized, and ready-to-use reference materials to researchers and industry around the globe.
Strong regulatory compliance
EVA strictly adheres to international frameworks, including the Nagoya Protocol, ensuring:
- Full traceability of biological resources.
- Fair and equitable benefit-sharing.
- Legal certainty for users.
Our commitment covers biosafety and biosecurity (BSL-3/BSL-4), responsible handling of sensitive agents and data protection. We stress equally that the supply of biological resources of high pathogenicity is carried out under a process of review by an appointed panel of experts, to ensure the recipients of these reagents are bona-fide researchers with appropriate expertise and containment facilities.
Open and responsible science
We work to ensure equitable access to virology resources, support capacity building in low- and medium-income countries, and foster innovation in collaboration with scientists and public health authorities.
Development of innovative tools
Exchange of know-how between EVA member laboratories is focused on creating new tools to develop the services offered through the infrastructure, with a focus on using state of the art techniques and concepts for providing tailored access to virology resources.
EVA develops innovative tools that facilitate virology research, including virus diagnostics and novel antiviral approaches. In particular, EVA provides the following assets, enhancing the infrastructure´s capabilities and services (within the consortium and towards external end-users):
- Improved approaches for the identification, sequencing and isolation of viruses, from clinical and field samples with the intention of discovering novel viruses and improving the distribution of the viral collection.
- Antibodies and antigens which can be used to create new detection assays and enhance our capacity to study the life cycle of viruses.
- Molecular detection assays for immediate deployment in cases of emerging epidemics.
- Long-term solution for biobanking of viruses and derived material
Pandemic preparedness and response
Preparedness and response to emerging viral diseases is continuously developed through scientific research and international collaboration. Since 2009, EVA directly cooperates with the WHO, WOAH, CDCs to generate capacities for the global distribution of diagnostic materials and protocols in the event of epidemiological emergencies.
EXTENSION OF EVA NETWORK AND INTEGRATION OF NEW RESOURCES
EVA has established close relationships and collaborations with international organizations involved in public health (WHO, WOAH and PAHO). Furthermore, EVA provides the possibility for relevant European Institutions/networks/research/infrastructures and projects to increase the visibility of their collections by making them available through the EVA portal. In the long term, this ensures the viability of reference viruses offering continuity for virology research and enriching the EVA collection.
In global terms, biological resources are scattered among many public health and research institutions. EVA strives to improve the virus collection and better prepare for new viral emergences, by integrating new members on the basis of their expertise.