Osaka University has made efforts to realize a society in which people can stay active longer (thanks to extended healthy life expectancy) and enjoy happy and fulfilling lives respecting each other's individuality.

The spread of COVID-19 has highlighted some of the challenges that Japan faces, such as information both factual and inaccurate disseminated on the internet and television, lack of basic research regarding infectious diseases (the important of which has been downplayed), and a health care system not equipped to handle infectious diseases.

Learning from the COVID-19 crisis, Osaka University established the Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER) in April 2021 in order to coalesce knowledge and talent for overcoming this national crisis and preparing for the spread of future infectious diseases.

This Center, in cooperation with institutes and industrial circles in Japan and from around the world, will protect "Our life and activity" from the threat of infectious disease through:
1. Dissemination of comprehensive information based on scientific evidence
2. Comprehensive research on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
3. Education and training of medical workers on the latest technology and knowledge regarding prevention measures for infectious diseases and development of leaders who will implement these measures

Osaka University will utilize its strengths as a comprehensive university to contribute to conquering infectious diseases, a challenge common to all of humanity.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that began spreading across the world at the end of 2019 has had an immense impact on all of us, and it continues to pose an unprecedented threat to the whole of humanity. Many people have lost their lives in the pandemic, and many others have been driven into dire economic straits or faced hardship and anguish in their everyday lives. At Osaka University, we are deploying our combined strengths in activities to tackle COVID-19. On the research front, numerous departments within the university are working collaboratively, leveraging a variety of achievements in fundamental research toward the development of preventative vaccines, diagnostic techniques and agents, and therapies and drugs to treat COVID-19. In the field of medical care, the Osaka University Hospital is providing intensive care services focused on critically ill patients, as well as continuing to offer its regular services while thoroughly adhering to infection prevention measures.

The Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER) was established in April 2021 to amass knowledge and talent for the purpose of protecting "Our life and activity" from the threat of infectious diseases. CiDER functions as a center that brings together capabilities from across the university and enlists the support of people from a variety of fields in wider society as it works to tackle COVID-19 from an international standpoint. The Center is also working on education and research projects that will make us better prepared for new infectious disease threats that may arise in the future.

I look forward to your warm support for CiDER and your cooperation with our initiatives.

In the years ahead, humanity will need to face up to the challenges of the New Era of Covid-19 as it is now being called in Japan. But we can also approach this new set of circumstances as an opportunity to reconsider the things we had previously taken for granted. Osaka University is committed to re-assessing what it means to be a university: under our mission of fostering talent with innovative ideas and lofty intelligence, through the respect of diversity and best use of our time, and through co-creation with wider society, we will work to solve a variety of problems and realize a society that fosters a sense of purpose in life.

　Humankind has battled infectious diseases throughout its history. Highly lethal infectious diseases have arisen countless times to date, but people came to believe that such diseases could be eradicated by the end of the 20th century through the development of vaccines and therapeutic drugs. The novel coronavirus pandemic that began in 2019, however, has exposed contemporary society’s continued vulnerability to infectious diseases. Conquering the emergent and re-emergent infectious diseases that will threaten society from now on is a common challenge for the whole of humankind.

　With the aim of protecting “our life and activity” from the threat of infectious diseases, Osaka University established the Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER) in April 2021. The Center brings together Osaka University’s capabilities across the disciplinary borders of humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, partnering with research institutes and industry players within Japan and internationally as it seeks to conquer emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases through collaboration across three divisions: the Division of Scientific Information and Public Policy, the Division of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Division of Fostering Required Medical Human Resources.

　The Division of Scientific Information and Public Policy disseminates accurate information based on scientific evidence, raising the scientific literacy of the general public and proposing policies that allow social and economic activities to be sustained even during a pandemic.
　In the Division of Microbiology and Immunology, expert teams in fields including infectious diseases and immunology pursue basic research, as well as working to enable swift responses to future pandemics through integrated research toward the development of vaccines and therapies.
　The Division of Fostering Required Medical Human Resources educates and trains healthcare professionals in the latest knowledge and techniques for responding to infectious diseases, and fosters leaders in infectious disease response who can tackle problems proactively even in emergency situations.

　As a center for comprehensive research and education, CiDER is committed to playing a leading role in infectious disease research and human resource development in Japan and internationally. All members of CiDER will work together to discharge our mission of protecting “our life and activity” from the threat of infectious diseases, and to enable the center to function as a hub that is open to the world. We appreciate your continued encouragement and support.