Meetings and Events
The Global Virus Network regularly convenes meetings of its international network starting with the inaugural meeting in Washington, DC in March 2011. Whether through meetings or events, it is integral to the success of GVN's mission to gather together the top medical virologists. Such meetings and events help to facilitate conversations and collaborations that may not otherwise occur, allows for ongoing organization and future plans, and provides opportunities for members to share their current research activities and concerns.
Since the formal establishment of the Global Virus Network, these meetings and events have become critical for the identification of program priorities, the exchange of ideas, and the recognition of achievement.
2026
Save the date: 21-23 September 2026
2025
Save the date: early-to-mid October 2025, in Tampa, Florida
2024
Meeting Details: 16-18 September 2024 in Durban, South Africa. Co-hosted by CAPRISA.
Past Years
19-21 October 2023
GVN Annual Scientific Meeting in Monaco
Click/tap for more information about the recent meeting in Monaco.
July 15, 2021
Africa Regional Meeting
June 2, 2021
Latin America - Caribbean Regional Meeting
March 11, 2021
Latin America - Caribbean Regional Meeting
June 9-12, 2019
The 11th International Global Virus Network Meeting was held in Barcelona, Spain. It was co-hosted by GVN Center of Excellence, the Centre De Recerca En Sanitat Animalas (CReSA) at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelone (UAB), and the Spanish Society of Virology (SEV). The meeting was headed by Dr. Christian Bréchot, GVN President, Dr. Joaquim Segalés, President of the Local Organizing Committee, and Dr. Albert Bosch, President of SEV. The meeting spanned topics such as immunology and vaccines, anti-virals, virus-host interaction, diagnostic virology and epidemiology, morphogenesis and structural biology, emerging and re-emerging viruses, viruses as biotechnological tools and trending topics in virology.
Meeting Report: The 11th International Global Virus Network
Africa Regional Meeting
Location: Room Rwenzori Hall, Lake Victoria Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda (Plot 23-31, Circular Road Circular Rd, Entebbe).
Meeting objectives:
- To present ongoing research, training and education initiatives in GVN Centers and Affiliates,
- To discuss the existing activities so as to position GVN as a partner for existing organizations and networks,
- To plan new research, training and education initiatives, and
- To initiate the first activities
Meeting Agenda:
MORNING SESSION: Ongoing training and research initiatives. Expectations towards GVN. Connecting with Industry, GVN Network, and other Networks.
8:00- 8:15 AM: Welcome: Dr. Pontiano Kaleebu and participant introduction.
8:15- 8:30 AM: Welcome and introduction to the Global Virus Network: Dr. Christian Bréchot.
8:30- 11:00 AM: Center Introduction: Participants present few slides on expertise, training, education and research programs (10 minutes per presentation).
Alash’le Abimiku, PhD, Institute for Human Virology, Nigeria
Juliet Bryant, PhD, Fondation Mérieux
Pontiano Kaleebu MBChB FRCP (Edin) PhD, Uganda Virus Research Institute, Uganda
Professeur Souleymane Mboup, Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Epidemiologique et de Formations, Senegal
Jeffrey Mphahlele, PhD, MSc, BSc Med Hons, BSc, MASSAf, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
Aaron S. Mweene, PhD, MSc, BVM, University of Zambia School of Veterinary Medicine, Zambia
Emmanuel Nakoune, PhD, Institut Pasteur in Bangui, Central Africa republic
Solange Kakou Ngazoa, PhD, Pasteur Institute Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Richard Njouom, PhD, Centre Pasteur of Cameroon, Cameroon
Janusz Paweska, DVSc, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the NHLS, South Africa
Osbourne Quaye BSc, MSc, PhD, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases, Ghana
Amadou Sall, PhD, Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal
Richter RAZAFINDRATSIMANDRESY, PhD, Institut Pasteur in Madagascar, Madagascar
Noel Tordo, PhD, Institut Pasteur de Guinée, Guinea
11:00-11:40 AM: Invited GVN members to present their area of expertise, their experience at the GVN and potential for collaboration (10 minutes per presentation).
Heinz Ellerbrok, PhD, RKI, Germany
Robert Garry, PhD, Tulane University, USA
Richard Scheuermann, PhD, J Craig Venter Institute, USA
David van de Vijver, PHARMD, PhD, Erasmus, Netherlands
11:40-11:50 AM: GVN Training Initiatives, Natalia Mercer, PhD, GVN
11:50- 12:00 PM: Summary morning Session- Dr. Bréchot
12:00-1:00 PM: Group picture and Lunch
AFTERNOON SESSION: Delineating future training activities
1:00-4:00 PM: Discuss main goals and structure of the regional GVN:
- Outline training, education and research initiatives. Delineate which actions might be useful and complementary to the many existing networks and organizations.
- Identify funding mechanisms.
- Define activities (list of tasks), resources, funds and timeline.
4:00- 5:00 PM: Summary of the meeting and Next steps.
6:30 PM: Dinner
November 28-30, 2018
The 10th International Global Virus Network (GVN) Meeting: Eradication and Control of (Re-)Emerging Viruses was held in Veyrier du Lac, France and was co-hosted by GVN Centers of Excellence, the Mérieux Foundation and the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), and led by FM’s Dr. Hubert Endtz, TiHo’s Dr. Ab Osterhaus and GVN’s Dr. Christian Bréchot.
Meeting Report: The 10th International Global Virus Network meeting.
September 2017
The 9th International Meeting of the GVN took place in Melbourne, Australia. Co-hosted by Australia’s Peter Doherty Institute, and the Institut Pasteur, this year’s meeting highlighted research advances in HIV, HCV, HTLV-1, and emerging viruses important to Australia and the Southeast Asian region. This included a public “Forum on HTLV-1 in Remote Indigenous Australians,” and later, a session on “New and emerging viruses in Australasia and beyond.”
Meeting Report: The 9th International Global Virus Network meeting.
September, 2016
The 8th International meeting of the GVN took place in Sapporo, Japan. It was in partnership with the Japanese Society for Virology (JSV), the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) of Japan and the Research Center for Zoonosis Control (CZC) at Hokkaido University. The announcement was made today by Robert Gallo, MD, GVN Co-Founder and International Scientific Advisor, Hideki Hasegawa, MD, PhD, Director of the Department of Pathology of NIID and Hirofumi Sawa, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of CZC and Professor of Molecular Pathobiology at CZC. Both CZC and NIID comprise Japan’s GVN Center of Excellence which also includes the Institute of Medical Science of the University of Tokyo and the Institute for Virus Research (IVR) at Kyoto University.
Meeting Report: The 8th International Global Virus Network meeting.
May, 2015
The 7th International Meeting of the GVN took place in Beijing, China. It was hosted by the Beijing University of Technology, a GVN Center of Excellence, in Beijing, China. During a time of mass migration, global climate change and threats of remerging viruses such as Ebola, the timing and location of the meeting is of significant importance. Experts shared information on varying viral threats, including those causing hemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis, HIV, measles, influenza, dengue and chikungunya, to name a few. GVN members also reviewed strategies at the center of the organization including the creation of specialized task forces and the launch of training programs to address growing viral threats.
September 2013
The 6th International Meeting of the GVN took place in Moscow, Russia. The meetings were hosted by the Russian GVN consortium, led by the Moscow Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention & Treatment and were held at the Moscow City Hall Conference Center. GVN Centers of Excellence presented on their current research on emerging viral threats.
May 2013
The 5th International Meeting of the GVN took place in Munich, Germany. The meeting was hosted and organized by the Technical University of Munich (Technische Universität München) and with support from donors identified by GVN, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gilead Sciences and the U.S. NIH. This meeting featured a one-day workshop on durability of vaccine response and a public session to engage new colleagues in the GVN mission.
September 2012
The 4th International Meeting of the GVN was held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, at the Hilton Baltimore. It was organized by the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland Baltimore. Current research was presented, and several new Centers of Excellence were admitted to the GVN.
June 2012
The 3rd International Meeting of the GVN occurred in Naples, Italy. The meeting took place at a hotel in central Naples, and was organized by members of the Italian GVN, specifically from the Italian National Cancer Institute (IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione G Pascale). Foundational members of the GVN Board of Directors were introduced, members presented on their current research areas, and collaborations were strengthened.
October 2011
The 2nd International Meeting of the GVN took place in Dublin, Ireland. The meeting was hosted at University College Dublin (UCD) and was organized by the Center for Research in Infectious Diseases at UCD. Progress was made both on refining the scientific priorities and administrative matters to apply for the GVN to be recognized as a non-profit institution under U.S. law.
March 2011
The 1st International Meeting of the GVN took place at the Italian Embassy to the United States in Washington, DC, USA. Drs. Robert Gallo, Reinhard Kurth, and William Hall were established as the co-founders of the GVN. It was organized by the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. This meeting established the first members of the GVN and set the mission, goals and objectives of the organization.
