The FONDATION ACTERIA and EFIS are delighted to announce the winners of the 2021 ACTERIA Early Career Research Prizes awarded by EFIS!

On the recommendation of the ACTERIA Prizes Selection Jury, the 2021 ACTERIA Early Career Research Prizes are awarded to

• In Immunology - Charlotte Scott, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Belgian Immunological Society (BIS), for her work since earning her PhD on the characterisation of dendritic cells in the intestine and her proposed research on the functions of distinct hepatic macrophage populations in fatty liver disease.
• In Allergology - Nicolas Gaudenzio, Toulouse Institute for Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (Infinity) - UMR 1291 INSERM - CNRS - University of Toulouse, French Society for Immunology (SFI, for his achievements following his doctoral dissertation on mast cell-T helper cell interactions during skin inflammation and his intent to investigate skin-projecting nociceptors as gate-keepers of neutrophil-driven damage during allergic contact dermatitis.

Congratulations to both 2021 Laureates! Read their interviews featured in the News & EFIS section of the European Journal of Immunology here, and learn more about the ACTERIA Prizes awarded by EFIS here.

Congratulations to EFIS' Official Journals - European Journal of Immunology and Immunology Letters - on their new impact factors: 5.532 and 3.685, respectively!

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If you you missed - or want to watch again - the EFIS/IUIS webinar "Immunology in the time of COVID-19: achievements and opportunities" broadcast live via Zoom and Twitch on April 29 to celebrate the Day of Immunology 2021, the recorded event, which attracted more than 3,000 attendees from 105 countries, is available here for viewing on demand.

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The BioMed Alliance, of which EFIS is a member, is raising awareness of the possible consequences of a poor implementation of the new EU Regulation for In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. With only one year away from the date of application, many critical regulatory elements are not in place and important guidance is still lacking, making it extremely difficult for the EU diagnostic sector to be fully prepared in time for May 2022 and thereby threatening to affect patients’ lives across Europe. Read more here.

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Thanks to the continued support of the European Journal of Immunology and to the generous contribution of the Fondation ACTERIA, EFIS is delighted to announce that it will be awarding an unprecedented number of WAIVED REGISTRATION FEE GRANTS for students and early career researchers under 40 years of age wishing to attend the Virtual 6th European Congress of Immunology - ECI 2021 - to be held Sepember 1-4, 2021. Full details here.

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For the 2021 #DayofImmunology, EFIS, IUIS, the young EFIS network, and Immunopaedia have collaborated to produce the #ThankYouImmunology video campaign, which asked early career scientists the world over what immunology means to them and its importance as a medical science in the protection of health and the fight against disease. View all the the videos here.

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To celebrate the Day of Immunology 2021, EFIS and IUIS are jointly organizing a webinar on 29 April: Immunology in the time of COVID-19: achievements and opportunities. Featuring both presentations and a panel discussion, it will bring together global experts to take stock of where we are and what the future may hold.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. However, the webinar will be made available for on demand viewing in the future. Check back here for more information in the coming days. A huge thanks to all who've registered, and enjoy the show!

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The ECI 2021 Organizing Committees have very closely monitored the ever-changing developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in the past few months. Regrettably, because the outlook presents too many uncertainties, the ECI 2021 Steering Committee, in unison with the EFIS Board, has decided to hold ECI 2021 as a virtual meeting. Continue reading here.

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Today, EFIS has published a new expert report which reviews vaccination strategies across Europe, effective scientific communication and public engagement, long-term immune monitoring programmes and equitable access to vaccines for all nations. The report has been produced by the EFIS Vaccination Task Force, a group of representatives from European immunology societies chaired by Dr Doug Brown, Chief Executive of the British Society for Immunology. The Task Force aims to address issues around COVID-19 vaccination at a European level. Download the report here.

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As the world continues to focus its attention, energies and resources to combat the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, EFIS trusts that its Member Societies and their membership ranks will want to commemorate April 29, 2021 as the international Day of Immunology. Let’s use this day once again to share with the general public how critically important immunology is for global health, and to champion the expert voices from our community as a vital part of this message. Further information - including details about prizes to be awarded by EFIS and IUIS to outreach campaigns - is available here.

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Following the remote consultation held in late 2020 inviting EFIS Members to express their preference among three shortlisted Society-nominated candidates, the EFIS Board is pleased to announce the election of Luis Graça as the new Editor-in-Chief of Immunology Letters. While welcoming Dr. Graça to his appointment, the EFIS Board also wishes to express its gratitude to the Hellenic and Croatian Societies for Immunology for the impressive and certainly qualified applications of their nominees, Dr. Constantin Baxevanis and Dr. Felix Wensveen, respectively.

Building on the efforts of junior researchers from several EFIS Member Societies, EFIS has launched the yEFIS Task Force with the intent to create a network dedicated to young immunologists throughout Europe. Read more here.

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Remember to save the date for the next European Congress of Immunology, September 1-4, 2021, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.

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