Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM)

Contact person

Kim Benschop, molecular virologist, PhD (supervisor EUPHEM) +31654630852

Jorrit Hofstra, medical microbiologist, MD (co-supervisor EUPHEM) +31 886897570

Description of the institute

The National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) stands for a healthy population living in a sustainable, safe and healthy environment for current and future generations:

• Conducting scientific research, collecting, clarifying and sharing available scientific knowledge
• Advise regional, national and international government bodies, as well as professionals and private citizens
• Organising prevention programmes
• Monitoring public health, diseases, and quality of nature and the human environment
• Contributing to preventing, combating and controlling incidents and crises

Each year, RIVM produces numerous reports and publications on all aspects of public health, nutrition and food, health care, disaster management, nature and the environment.

The RIVM has four thematic domains with different focus:

• Infectious Diseases Control,
• Environment and Safety,
• Public Health and Health Services,
• Prevention Programmes and Public Health Upscaling.

The EUPHEM fellows are hosted in the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Diagnostics and Screening (IDS), which is part of the Centre for Infectious Disease Control (CIb). 

The EUPHEM fellows at IDS work in close collaboration with project leaders in other centres that are part of the CIb:

• Centre for Epidemiology and Surveillance of Infectious Diseases (EPI)
• Centre for National Coordination of Infectious Diseases Control (LCI)
• Centre for Immunology and Vaccinology (IIV)
• Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology (Z&O)

EPI acts as a training location for the European (EU) and the Member State (MS) track of the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET). There is a close collaboration with the EPIET programme.

The mission of the RIVM - Centre for Infectious Disease Control (RIVM-CIb) is protecting public health through monitoring and surveillance, preventing and controlling infectious diseases in humans.

The RIVM-CIb:

• coordinates the development of multidisciplinary guidelines on infectious disease control;
• conducts and participates in research;
• advises government and professionals;
• promotes expertise, quality and uniformity within the discipline of infectious disease control.
• makes clear and reliable information available to professionals and the general public;
• promotes effective international cooperation.

The main public health topics of CIb are:

• Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance
• Gastrointestinal and foodborne infections
• Zoonosis
• Sexually transmitted infections including HPV
• Respiratory infections including tuberculosis and flu
• Vaccine preventable diseases (bacterial and viral)
• Bacterial, viral, and parasitological infections
• Emerging and high impact pathogen diagnostics
• Vectorborne infectious diseases (bacterial, viral and parasites)
• Pandemic Preparedness

IDS carries out:

• Microbiological research,
• Specific patient and epidemiological diagnostics of infectious diseases;
• Laboratory analyses on human infectious diseases.

IDS organizes and manages the national network of diagnostic reference laboratories and has reference tasks for many different pathogens including for instance measles, rubella, polio, tuberculosis, enteral viruses, healthcare-associated infections, and foodborne pathogens. The centre’s knowledge and information is used to support Community Health Services and the national government. Additionally, IDS hosts several of the newly assigned EU reference laboratories.

Research at IDS is mainly focused on developing, optimising and implementing innovative laboratory tests (diagnostics, and typing) or other translational research to improve public health. Whole Genome Sequencing, a laboratory process that determines the complete DNA sequence of a micro-organism’s genome is introduced in most microbiological processes used for surveillance. 

The working field of the different departments are listed below:

Emerging and Endemic Viruses (EEV)

The laboratory for Emerging and Endemic Viruses is involved in research projects for respiratory and intestinal virus infections and emerging infections that are a potential threat for public health.

Laboratory Response Covid (LRC)

The Laboratory Response Covid is a new department that was set up during the Corona pandemic. The department focuses on SARS-CoV-2 research like pathogen surveillance, outbreak investigation, optimisation and validation of methods in close collaboration with other departments like EEV.

Virology of the vaccine-preventable diseases (VVP)

The laboratory virology of the vaccin preventable diseases is involved in research for all viruses that are part of the Dutch national immunisation program.

Bacterial Surveillance and Respons (BSR) 

The laboratory Bacterial Surveillance and Response is involved in characterising and typing of bacteria and surveillance and mapping of bacteria in the Netherlands, including Antimicrobial resistance.

Bacterial and Parasitological Diagnostics (BPD)

The department Bacterial and Parasitological Diagnostics is involved in research, pathogen surveillance and diagnostics of parasitic and bacterial infections from a public health perspective, including (re)emerging bacteria and parasites, fungi and bacteria that can pose a potential bio-terrorist threat.

The methods that are used in the different laboratories are numerous and include both classical methods like culture and serological assays, and state of the art molecular techniques like Whole genome sequencing (both Illumina and MinIon).

Training Opportunities

During the two-year training at the IDS there are sufficient opportunities to meet all EUPHEM training objectives. The trainee can be involved in all major activities of the departments, and there are opportunities for international missions and collaboration with national institutes.

The training will be organised in close collaboration with Z&O, IIV, LCI and EPI and in close collaboration with EPIET fellows. Training programs are tailored based on the requirements in the EUPHEM core competencies, previous experience and personal interests and the possibilities within the CIb.

Supervision

The EUPHEM fellow will be supervised by the main EUPHEM supervisor (Dr Titia Kortbeek) and co-supervisor (Dr Kim Benschop, PhD) for the period of his/her training. For specific tasks and assignments, the fellow will be supervised by appropriate senior scientists/consultants.

Language requirements

Within the centres communication in English is possible with all colleagues. However, in order to be actively involved in field investigations and to communicate with the public health services, it is highly recommended to learn to read and speak Dutch. Nearly all fellows manage to do so to a certain degree.

Training history

Since 2008, EUPHEM fellows from Germany, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Belgium, Hungary (EU) and the Netherlands (MS) are successfully trained at RIVM in cohorts 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023 and currently 2024 and 2025.

The RIVM also hosts EPIET fellows (both MS-track and EU-track).