On 28 August 2026, the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) celebrated the completion of the structural shell of its new research building at the Berthold-Beitz-Platz campus together with guests from science, politics – including Bettina Martin, Minister for Science of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – and partner institutions. The €38 million project is jointly funded by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is contributing €26.5 million, and the federal government.

Dennis Rohde, a member of the German Bundestag and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF), visited the Braunschweig campus of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) today. He was accompanied by Braunschweig’s Mayor, Dr. Thorsten Kornblum. The visit focused on discussions with the HZI management and researchers as well as insights into key research and infrastructure areas at the HZI.

Ebola viruses are among the most dangerous known human pathogens. Three species of Ebola virus have repeatedly caused major outbreaks on the African continent. Most outbreaks have been caused by the Zaire Ebola virus. Medicines and vaccines are available for this virus species. However, there are as yet no treatments or vaccines against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, which is causing the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This makes it considerably more difficult to combat the outbreak, which is already the largest Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak ever documented. A team of researchers at the German Primate Centre – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ), at TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research in Hannover, as well as at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf and the Charité – University Medicine Berlin has now investigated how the Bundibugyo Ebola virus enters cells and whether there is cross-protection from an already approved Zaire Ebola virus vaccine. The study was published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.