ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the projectification of science by analysing how in the VIRology GenOmics Consortium (VIRGO) consortium the project format structures research. The VIRGO consortium is one of the projects of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative (NGI), a special agency within the general Netherlands Organisation for Research Funding that was set-up in response to the genomics revolution and developments in biotechnology. In preparation for a possible pandemic, governments have to invest in public research, which eventually can lead to the development and commercial production of vaccinations or other forms of therapy by the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, VIRGO uses genomics techniques to investigate host-virus interactions to improve the rational design of vaccination and other intervention strategies for respiratory virus infections like influenza. The analysis of the VIRGO consortium shows the influence of the project format on research and its role in bringing different societal domains together.
