Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine

The Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine is Germany's largest institution dedicated to research, services, and training in the field of tropical diseases and emerging infections. The institute's research areas encompass clinical studies, epidemiology, disease control, and the biology of pathogens, reservoirs, and vectors, with a current focus on malaria, haemorrhagic fever viruses, tissue nematodes, and diagnostics development. Notably, the institute's facilities include laboratories of the highest biosafety levels, specifically BSL4 and a BSL3 insectary, allowing the study of highly pathogenic viruses and infected insects. The institute also provides specific laboratory diagnostics for tropical diseases, emerging and rare infections, and collaborates closely with the German army. Moreover, it serves as the National Reference Centre for Tropical Pathogens and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research. The institute also engages in teaching activities, offering comprehensive courses on tropical medicine, structured training programs for PhD students, and continuing education in travel medicine and international health. Furthermore, it runs the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) in collaboration with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. As a member of the Leibniz Association and a research institute of national importance, the institute is jointly funded by the Federal Government, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and other federal states. The institute's commitment to addressing global health challenges and its significant role in research, diagnostics, and training underpin its vital contribution to the scientific community, industry, politics, and the public.