UK International Coronavirus Network (UK-ICN)

Animal coronaviruses cause a very significant disease burden and great economic loss in many countries. Over the years there have been various strategies developed to control them, including specific vaccination strategies, diagnostics and improved farm biosecurity, but they remain a problem. Furthermore, in the last two decades we have seen the emergence of three coronaviruses with devastating effects on human health – the most recent, SARS-CoV-2, has caused a global pandemic that has killed over 2 million people so far, destroyed livelihoods and caused a degree of upheaval not seen since World War 2. The three pathogenic human coronaviruses all spilled over from animal hosts and probably originated from bats, entering the human population through the food chain.

Establishing a broad-based international network on coronaviruses centred in a research-intensive country like the UK will ensure that lessons in coronavirus control and treatment can be rapidly interchanged between the global research community interested in animal and human coronaviruses.

Promoting discussion in this broad area and having fora for the exchange of ideas is vital; our network will provide these. In addition, travel restrictions during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have curtailed networking opportunities for the junior scientists who will be the leaders of the future. Part of the goal of this network is to facilitate these individuals finding their own partnerships to ensure that coronavirus research is firmly embedded in the scientific and policy agenda. As the spread of human and animal coronaviruses illustrates, coronaviruses (and other infectious diseases) do not respect political borders and nation states and therefore a network on coronaviruses has to encompass not only UK scientists but be international in reach as well.