FUTUREDEMICS: Nordic Pandemic Preparedness Modelling Network

Summary

Facts

Project number

209400

Project leader

Birgitte Freiesleben de Blasio​, Norwegian Institute of Public Health​

Call

Call for proposals for Nordic Research Networks in Preparedness and Resilience

Research area

Nordic Societal Security Initiative

This scientific modelling hub will have the cross-disciplinary and cross-sectorial expertise and capacity to provide timely, relevant advice that aligns with policy priorities and demands when future pandemics and emergencies arise.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights how rapidly infectious diseases can spread globally, severely affecting health, society, and the economy. The risk of future pandemics is rising due to emerging pathogens, increased global travel, population movements, and climate change, which drives extreme weather and spreads disease-carrying insects to new areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought mathematical modelling to the political forefront. From the outset, models played a key role in guiding policy decisions, providing analyses to understand transmission dynamics and disease severity, as well as short-term forecasting and scenario analysis. However, the COVID-19 pandemic also exposed the need for improved and ongoing interactions between modelling communities and policymakers, essential for ensuring operational modelling capacity during crises.

FUTUREDEMICS aims to strengthen research, training, and education in pandemic and epidemic preparedness through cross-sector collaborations between academia, government agencies, and policymakers across the Nordic region. Building on the existing collaborative networks formed during the COVID-19 crisis—specifically through the Nordemics and NordicMathCOVID Nordforsk projects—this initiative brings together a multidisciplinary group of experts.

The Nordic Pandemic Preparedness Modelling Network will be a driving force in the development, coordination, and implementation of policy-relevant research projects in the context of pandemic emergencies. We will create innovative methods and tools that inform actionable decision-making by leveraging unique cross-Nordic health data. Key initiatives include annual scientific meetings to unite leading Nordic scientists, practical workshops focused on pandemic response exercises, policy-relevant thematic conferences with the participation of stakeholders, and summer schools in statistical analysis and infectious disease modelling.

Through these efforts, the FUTUREDEMICS network will ensure that the Nordic region has a modelling capacity prepared to respond effectively and decisively to future public health crises.