Today, the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) has published a new expert report called ‘Lessons learned from European COVID-19 vaccination rollout programmes’ which features case studies of vaccination strategies across Europe in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report examines different steps taken to encourage vaccination uptake in a range of countries and important lessons we can incorporate to strengthen international preparedness for future pandemics and advance global health. Read more and download the report here.

---

EFIS is pleased to announce the 2022 Eastern Star Awards:

• Dr. Iva Hafner Bratkovič, Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry of Slovenia, for her project on reconstructing the inflammasome pathway in tumor cells for cancer immunotherapy;
• Dr. Felix M. Wensveen, Department of Histology and Embryology, University of Rijeka School of Medicine, for his project on the impact of IGF1 signaling on memory CD8 T cells.

Congratulations to both Awardees!

Read more about the EFIS Eastern Star Award here. A new call for proposals will be launched in September 2022, with a deadline for applications set for January 31st, 2023.

---

On the recommendations of the ACTERIA Selection Jury, the Fondation ACTERIA is delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 ACTERIA Doctoral Thesis Prizes awarded by EFIS:

• In immunology: Marta Joana Costa Jordāo, German Society for Immunology (DGfI), for her thesis on the ontogeny, fate and function of central nervous system myeloid cells during homeostasis and neuroinflammation.

• In allergology: Coraline Radermecker, Belgian Immunological Society (BIS), for her thesis on the role of neutrophils and “Neutrophil Extracellular Traps” in allergic asthma onset.

The call for applications for the 2023 ACTERIA Early Career Research Prizes in immunology and allergology will open on October 1st, 2022. More information on the ACTERIA Prizes is availabe here.

---

In confirming its support for the Ukraine immunology and allergology community, EFIS has launched a special mobility scheme to assist Ukrainian students and early career researchers active in immunology and related fields who currently are unable to work as they are forced to flee the ongoing conflict or are already abroad and cannot return home. Download more information here.

---

These are truly challenging times: just as the world was beginning to taste the freedoms from restrictions imposed by a pandemic, another crisis has captured the attention and sentiments of the international community.

The European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) first wishes to express its unwavering support and solidarity to the whole of Ukraine, its citizens, and all people affected by the war. Second, the unprovoked aggression of Russian Federation armed forces against a neighbouring nation demands condemnation, and EFIS joins the international community in denouncing this invasion.

At the same time, EFIS - as a federation of national European societies dedicated to the science of immunology and related fields - knows that the overwhelming majority of its community members share the principle that science and scientific collaboration are apolitical, know no borders, and help to guarantee peaceful coexistence among nations and their peoples. An integral part of that collaboration is the exchange of individuals and ideas, and EFIS will continue to dedicate its resources to nurture such exchange.

Conflicts of this kind breed too many innocent bystanders: normal citizens, organisations, entire communities with like-minded aims that have nothing to do with the crisis at hand. And science is one of these bystanders that must respond with the resources at its disposal.

---

At its most recent General Assembly, EFIS Societies expressed their voice, and with a convincing mandate elected Bojan Polić of the Croatian Society as 2022-2024 EFIS President-elect and Marieke van Ham of the Dutch Society as 2022-2024 EFIS Secretary General. A special word of thanks is due to Jacek Witkowski, nominated by the Polish Society, and Pärt Petersen, nominated by the Estonian Society, for their willingness to run for the offices of President-elect and Secretary General, respectively. EFIS congratulates both newly-elected officers, who guarantee outstanding scientific and managerial skills, and who will join incoming President, Federica Sallusto, outgoing President Andreas Radbruch, and Treasurer Winfried Pickl to form the EFIS Board 2022-2024.