Germany's premier infection research centre specializing in anti-infective drug discovery, vaccine development, and immune system biology across 40 EU projects.
HZI is Germany's leading dedicated infection research centre, focused on discovering new anti-infective drugs, understanding immune responses, and developing vaccines against bacterial and viral diseases. Their core work spans medicinal chemistry for antibiotic and antiviral compounds, immune system biology (T cells, B cells, immune monitoring), and translational vaccine development from preclinical through clinical stages. They also operate as a key node in European research infrastructure for chemical biology screening and vaccine R&D, providing shared platforms and compound libraries to the wider research community.
Central theme across NovAnI, NovInDXS, MepAnti, SWEETBULLETS, SCORE, GNA NOW, GoMyTri, and COMBAT — covering hit identification, compound optimization, and antibiotic development.
CRUZIVAX (Chagas vaccine, coordinator, EUR 2M), TherVacB (hepatitis B therapeutic vaccine), TRANSVAC2 and TRANSVAC-DS (European vaccine R&D infrastructure), and VIVAVE (viral vaccine vectors).
ENLIGHT-TEN (T cell genomics, coordinator), COSMIC (systems medicine of adaptive immunity), IMSTREV (immune modulation), EDGE (herpes virology immunology), and MISTRO (cytomegalovirus latency immune response).
EU-OPENSCREEN-DRIVE (chemical biology infrastructure), MORPHEUS (bioorganic chemistry and natural products), and NovAnI (hit identification strategies).
CORESMA (coordinator, e-health and serolomics for COVID outbreak response), CARE (repurposed drugs for SARS-CoV-2), and SCORE (coronavirus therapeutics and compound screening).
COMBAT (coordinator, EUR 2M for microbial biofilm diagnostics and therapy) and NEW DEAL (siRNA nanotherapy for inflammatory bowel diseases).
In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), HZI focused heavily on fundamental biology — nanoparticle drug delivery (NABBA), T cell differentiation (ENLIGHT-TEN), structural biology infrastructure (INSTRUCT-ULTRA), and basic virology (EDGE, VIVAVE). From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward translational outcomes: clinical-stage vaccine development (CRUZIVAX, TherVacB), applied anti-infective drug discovery with industry engagement (NovAnI, MepAnti, EU-OPENSCREEN-DRIVE), and real-world pandemic response (CORESMA, CARE, SCORE). The evolution reflects a clear movement from understanding disease mechanisms to delivering drugs and vaccines closer to patients.
HZI is moving firmly toward clinical translation and industry-facing drug discovery, making them an increasingly valuable partner for organizations seeking to advance compounds or vaccines from lab bench to human trials.
HZI leads as often as it follows — coordinating 20 of 40 projects, a remarkably high ratio for a research centre, indicating strong project management capacity and scientific leadership. They work across 325 unique partners in 37 countries, suggesting a broad, hub-like network rather than a closed circle of repeat collaborators. Their funding schemes span ERC grants (individual excellence), MSCA training networks (capacity building), and large RIA consortia (collaborative research), showing they are comfortable in both small focused teams and large multi-partner efforts.
HZI has collaborated with 325 distinct partners across 37 countries, placing them among the most connected infection research centres in Europe. Their network spans well beyond the EU, reflecting Germany's central position in health research consortia.
HZI is one of very few European centres that covers the entire anti-infective pipeline under one roof — from natural product discovery and medicinal chemistry through preclinical validation to vaccine clinical trials. Their dual strength in both drug discovery (small molecules, antibiotics) and vaccine development (adjuvants, clinical-stage candidates) is unusual; most institutes specialize in one or the other. Add their infrastructure role in EU-OPENSCREEN and TRANSVAC, and they become a one-stop partner for anyone working on infectious disease therapeutics who needs access to screening platforms, compound libraries, and translational expertise.
