About the Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling

The MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling was founded in March 2007 with Professor Neil Ferguson as Director.

SARS and H5N1 avian influenza have highlighted the need of the world to improve its readiness for new epidemics. The centre will build upon a world-leading research group in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College to undertake applied collaborative work with national and international agencies in support of policy planning and response operations against emerging infectious disease threats.

Based at Imperial College London, the Centre also involves staff at the UK Health Protection Agency. Centre researchers are world leaders in epidemic modelling and have extensive experience of advising governments and international agencies on the control of a wide range of diseases, including influenza, SARS, polio, HIV, BSE and foot-and-mouth disease. The centre will build on this experience and provide the infrastructure to establish long-term relationships with public health bodies around the world.

Our mission

The MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling is an international resource and centre of excellence for research on the epidemiological analysis and modelling of novel infectious disease outbreaks. It builds upon a world-leading research reputation to undertake applied collaborative work with national and international agencies to support policy planning and response operations against emerging infectious disease threats (such as avian influenza strains with human pandemic potential). 

Strategy and Objectives

1. to establish an international centre for translating state of the art epidemiological analysis and modelling research into practical policy guidance for planning for and responding to novel infectious disease outbreaks.
2. to establish a standing Outbreak Analysis Unit (OAU) which has the capacity to respond to rapidly developing needs for real-time analysis and predictive modelling.
3. to build long-term collaborative relationships with national and international public health agencies and facilitate skills transfer and capacity building in those bodies.
4. to develop a unique global integrated epidemic analysis and modelling platform, and apply this to influenza pandemic preparedness planning in different regions and countries.
5. to accelerate progress in identifying the ecological, biological and social determinants of pathogen emergence and consequent outbreak dynamics through an integrated and multidisciplinary research programme.