History
The Victorian Infection and Immunity Network came to life in 2004, when the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University established the successful Monash Infection and Immunity Network at Monash University. In 2009 the MIIN then evolved into the present day VIIN.
We have since grown to a 1000+ member organisation encompassing Victoria’s major universities and research organisations. We provide networking and development opportunities to Victorian Infection and Immunity researchers, students, care providers and associated industries.
As well as hosting the annual Lorne Infection and Immunity Conference we meet throughout the year at symposia, careers evenings and business breakfasts.
We have strong ties with commercial organisations in the infection and immunity field; the VIIN Industry Alliance has been in operation since late 2012 and has funded a number of collaborative project grants between academia and industry in Victoria. More information about our Industry Engagement activities can be found here.
Mission
The Victorian Infection and Immunity Network (VIIN) aims to:
- Connect Infection and Immunity researchers, students, health care and industry within Victoria
- Increase availability, awareness and accessibility of funding and resources to the Victorian Infection and Immunity community
- Foster the development of Infection and Immunity researchers and students
- Promote scientific excellence in the area of Infection and Immunity research
- Promote the translation of Infection and Immunity research into practical outcomes for human and animal health
In addition the VIIN Industry Alliance (VIIN-IA) aims to:
- facilitate the development of Victorian business in the Infection and Immunity field
Equity and diversity
Victorian Infection and Immunity Network and Lorne Infection and Immunity Conference aim at gender equity throughout our activities – on the committee, in our invited speaker lists and in our invited chairs list.
Lorne Infection and Immunity Conference
We have a strong track record of maintaining this commitment to gender equity, which is noted in the following policies:
· https://www.lorneinfectionimmunity.org/gender-equity
· https://www.lorneinfectionimmunity.org/diversity-and-inclusion
VIIN Careers Evening
Our track record on invited speakers is shown below:
Year |
Female identifying (n) |
Male identifying (n) |
Non-binary (n) |
2022 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
2021 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
2020 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
2019 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
2018 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
2017 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
VIIN Young Investigator Symposium
The VIIN Young Investigator Symposium organizing committee is dedicated to ensuring an equal balance of male and females at every level of the event.
Committee members
Year |
Female identifying (n) |
Male identifying (n) |
Non-binary (n) |
2022 |
7 |
9 |
0 |
2021 |
7 |
9 |
0 |
2020 |
11 |
4 |
0 |
Invited speakers
Female identifying (n) |
Male identifying (n) |
Non-binary (n) |
|
2022 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2021 * |
4 |
5 |
0 |
2020 * |
10 |
5 |
0 |
* Careers and other workshops rolled into the symposium, which explains the higher number of invited speakers these years
Speakers selected from abstracts
Female identifying (n) |
Male identifying (n) |
Non-binary (n) |
|
2022 |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
2021 |
19 |
11 |
0 |
2020 |
10 |
8 |
0 |
Science Bites selected from abstracts
Female identifying (n) |
Male identifying (n) |
Non-binary (n) |
|
2022 |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
2021 |
17 |
3 |
1 |
2020 |
15 |
10 |
0 |
Total participation
Year |
Female identifying (n) |
Male identifying (n) |
Non-binary (n) |
2022 |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
2021 |
191 |
79 |
1 |
2020 |
223 |
115 |
0 |