About Us
Located at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, VIDO is a world leader in infectious disease research and vaccine development and one of Canada's Major Research Facilities.
For more than 50 years, our researchers have studied infectious diseases affecting people and animals and developed vaccines and other medical countermeasures to protect against them. Today, VIDO's expertise and infrastructure contribute to Canada's ability to understand, prepare for and respond to emerging and high-consequence infectious disease threats.
From discovery to manufacturing in one place
VIDO brings infectious disease research, advanced computational approaches, high-containment laboratories, animal research, preclinical testing, vaccine development and manufacturing together in one place. This integrated capacity helps move promising vaccines and other medical countermeasures from discovery toward real-world use more efficiently.
Through Canada's Centre for Pandemic Research, VIDO is expanding this capacity to strengthen Canada's preparedness and sovereignty by increasing the country's ability to study emerging infectious disease threats and develop and manufacture the vaccines and other medical countermeasures needed to respond.
Research for human and animal health
Infectious diseases do not respect borders or species.
VIDO's expertise spans diseases affecting people and animals, including diseases that can move between them. Our researchers study pathogens and immune responses and use that knowledge to develop vaccines, medical countermeasures and other solutions.
VIDO's history in veterinary infectious disease research also gives us internationally recognized expertise working with livestock and other animal species. This supports human and animal health while helping protect agriculture, food production and food supply chains.
A Canadian research resource
As one of Canada's Major Research Facilities, VIDO's specialized infrastructure and expertise support research well beyond our own organization.
Researchers from universities, government and industry in Canada and internationally access VIDO's facilities and expertise to conduct preclinical research that may not be possible at their home institutions. VIDO also provides vaccine process development and manufacturing capabilities that can help partners advance promising discoveries toward real-world applications.
By making this specialized Canadian infrastructure available to the broader research community, VIDO helps build research capacity, advance scientific discovery and maximize the impact of Canada's investments in research infrastructure.
Connected to national and international expertise
VIDO contributes expertise to national and international networks working to strengthen infectious disease research, health security and biodefence.
This includes high-containment research networks such as US-based RAV3N and European-based INTERCEPTOR, which connect specialized facilities and expertise across countries. VIDO is also the only Canadian organization selected to participate in CEPI's preclinical research network, helping advance vaccine development for emerging infectious disease threats.
VIDO contributes to Canada's biodefence capabilities as Canada's only biotechnology-focused NATO DIANA test centre and as a United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism (UNSGM) Qualified Laboratory with three Qualified Experts.
Together, these partnerships allow Canadian expertise and infrastructure to contribute internationally while connecting Canada's research community to knowledge, capabilities and collaborations around the world.
More than 50 years of impact
For more than 50 years, VIDO has translated infectious disease research into practical solutions for human and animal health. Our inventions include eight commercialized vaccines, with four more in late-stage development, and we have trained more than 1,200 highly qualified personnel who have taken that expertise to organizations in Canada and around the world.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, VIDO was the first laboratory in Canada to isolate SARS-CoV-2, developed the country's first animal model of COVID-19 and advanced a Canadian-developed vaccine into phase two clinical trials.
Today, we are building on that experience to strengthen the expertise, infrastructure and technologies Canada needs to address infectious disease threats affecting both people and animals, helping protect human and animal health, agriculture and food security.
Part of the University of Saskatchewan
VIDO is a research organization at the University of Saskatchewan, one of Canada's U15 top research-intensive universities.
Based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, VIDO combines specialized infrastructure with scientific expertise that serves researchers and partners across Canada and internationally.