On December 21, 2021, the Deans of the Schools for Engineering and Applied Sciences, Data Science and Medicine, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Executive Director of the Biocomplexity Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the joint development of a new Pandemic Science Program. Initial funding for this program was provided through a Strategic Investment Fund.

The purpose of this Memorandum is to outline and detail the commitments, contributions and participation of the Institute and the Schools to jointly collaborate and build capacity in the area of Pandemic Science. This entails the development and pursuit of funded research activities including the development of a core program development team, the collaborative recruitment of new faculty funded by this program, the development of a graduate student program, and raising the visibility and collective level of interest in Pandemic Science at UVA and thereby increasing the impact of this integrated Pandemic Science program world-wide.

The development of an interdisciplinary and highly-collaborative externally funded research is a key component of this program and forms the basis of the sustainability plan.