(Vienna, 04 December 2025) Pandemics have been an enormous global challenge for decades. The new Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness (LBI SOAP) of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society (LBG), based at MedUni Vienna, now combines different approaches to prepare society for future pandemics and, ideally, prevent them altogether. What this might look like in the future was presented yesterday at a press conference at the Josephinum in Vienna, attended by Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Vienna City Councillor Veronica Kaup-Hasler, LBG President Freyja-Maria Smolle-Jüttner, Vice-Rector of MedUni Vienna Michaela Fritz and Institute Director Florian Krammer.
"Science should be understandable, accessible and usable for everyone. The LBI SOAP shows how research has a concrete impact on our everyday lives and supports us. Reliable information is the basis of a strong democracy, which is why we are not only strengthening research itself, but also trust in it. Because only when science and society work together can we improve health standards and keep our democracy strong," said Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Federal Minister for Women, Science and Research.
Freyja-Maria Smolle-Jüttner, LBG President, adds: "With the LBI SOAP, we want to bring science to where it is needed: right into the heart of society. We combine cutting-edge research with active citizen participation, creating a model that extends far beyond national borders. This institute shows how research can strengthen social resilience and promote trust in science in the long term."
"With the new location of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness, we are sending a strong signal for science that involves people and remains understandable. The fact that this institute is headed by the internationally renowned virologist Florian Krammer shows the confidence Vienna has in excellent research. The city supports this project because open and well-explained science is our best tool for preparing ourselves together for future challenges," says Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Vienna City Councillor for Culture and Science.
"The LBI SOAP works in an interdisciplinary and international manner and is well networked regionally. This means that the new institute brings together a wide range of skills and expertise to ensure excellent research, participatory citizen science and targeted communication in pandemic preparedness, health education and advising political decision-makers. When scientific findings are communicated transparently and comprehensibly, they can have a social impact and spark enthusiasm for research," says Michaela Fritz, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation at the Medical University of Vienna.
Scientific excellence meets social participation
The LBI SOAP began its research in July 2025 and is pursuing several approaches in four closely interlinked research projects: virus surveillance, virus characterisation, community science, and science communication and education.
A central focus of the new institute is on how research results can be presented in a way that is understandable, accessible and relevant to policy makers, the media and the general public. At the same time, formats are being developed that enable greater participation by society, for example through community science projects or participatory approaches to health issues. In addition, LBI SOAP makes an important contribution to strengthening pandemic preparedness in the long term through international research, analysis of global health developments and the development of new communication tools.
The next pandemic is coming: it's not a question of if, but when
In the last hundred years alone, there have been four influenza pandemics worldwide, several devastating outbreaks of cholera and Ebola, the ongoing HIV/AIDS pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. They have claimed tens of millions of lives. Many of these infectious diseases were originally transmitted from animals to humans. "We have had six pandemics in the last hundred years or so, and it is only a matter of time before another pandemic occurs," emphasises Florian Krammer, virologist at MedUni Vienna and head of the new LBI SOAP. "However, societies can prepare well for such outbreaks and also try to prevent some of them. That is exactly what we are working on at LBI SOAP."
Pandemic prevention and preparedness aim to detect disease outbreaks at an early stage and effectively prevent their spread. In the virus surveillance and virus characterisation projects, research into zoonoses, i.e. infectious diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, plays an essential role. In the institute's early projects, pathogens with zoonotic potential are detected in urban areas, their frequency determined and their characteristics investigated. This applies, for example, to viruses that can be transmitted to humans via animals such as rats, birds or mosquitoes. The data obtained is used for the early identification of potential health risks. Based on this, measures can be developed that range from targeted information campaigns for risk groups and recommendations for behavioural changes to the development of new vaccines and therapies.
Involving the population and inspiring enthusiasm for science
This is precisely where the other focus of LBI SOAP comes into play: community science, science communication and science education. The aim is to actively involve the population in the research of pathogens and the associated science communication from the outset. The institute focuses on participation and community science, as well as close cooperation with educational institutions. Community science actively involves people outside the traditional research community and enables them to help shape research. LBI SOAP has structurally anchored this approach in its work and integrated community science as a fundamental principle of its research.
For example, there is a mobile laboratory case that has already been used in New York. With the help of this case, environmental samples can be taken and initial analyses carried out. In the Big Apple, samples of bird droppings were collected from school classes in Central Park as part of this measure. The nucleic acid was then extracted and tested to determine which viruses the animals were carrying. "When we involve young people in real research, the spark is ignited – in their families, their schools and ultimately in entire communities, and suddenly a whole community that previously had no access to science becomes enthusiastic about it. We want that in Austria too," explains Institute Director Krammer.
The LBI model: freedom for outstanding research
The work at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes is carried out in partnership between research- and application-oriented organisations. The maximum budget is €1.5 million per year, 80 per cent of which is financed by the Ludwig Boltzmann Society and 20 per cent by the partner organisations. The institutes are established within a host institution and administered by the LBG. The term is set at seven years, with the possibility of an extension for a further three years.
The LBI-SOAP is based at the Medical University of Vienna and will carry out projects in collaboration with two partner organisations: the City of Vienna and Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, as well as the four planned network partners AGES, Citizen Science Network Austria, Open Science and the University of Vienna. Further information can be found at: https://soap.lbg.ac.at/