Infectious diseases of poverty continue to impose a disproportionate burden on low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Strengthening research capacity in these settings is critical for generating locally relevant evidence and improving health outcomes. In response to this need, Infectious Diseases of Poverty is pleased to announce a special issue entitled “Sustaining Research Capacity: Competency Building and Implementation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.”

This special issue aims to provide a platform for rigorous analysis of research capacity strengthening initiatives, moving beyond immediate outputs to examine long-term outcomes and sustainability. We invite submissions that explore the effectiveness of training programs, including postgraduate schemes, fellowships, and institutional partnerships, with a focus on implementation research and clinical research leadership in low and middle-income countries. We encourage manuscript submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Career Trajectories and Retention: Evidence of how training programs influence career progression, retention within LMICs, and the transition into leadership roles.

• Scientific Outputs and Bibliometrics: Retrospective and prospective evaluations of research productivity, including publication volume, authorship positions, journal quality, and citation networks.

• Collaboration and Networking: Assessments of how training influences national, South-South, and North-South collaboration patterns.

• Institutional Capacity and Curriculum Development: Evaluations of how training programmes strengthen institutional research ecosystems, including curriculum integration (e.g., the inclusion of implementation research modules), faculty development, and the establishment of sustainable research agendas.

• Challenges and Barriers: Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the obstacles researchers face post-training, such as limited funding opportunities, publication inequities, and the scarcity of high-level positions.

We welcome a variety of article types, including original research articles, scoping reviews and policy briefings. Manuscripts should offer methodological rigor and provide actionable insights for funders, policymakers and academic institutions to optimize future investments in research capacity strengthening. This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities.

All submissions in this collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process. Similarly, all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.

As we transition from the acute phases of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 to the era of complex zoonotic threats like avian influenza, a critical paradigm shift is urgently needed in epidemiology. The scientific community is increasingly aware that the next major health crisis, often termed "Disease X," is unlikely to follow the historical "sudden emergence—rapid explosion" narrative. Instead, we face a more insidious reality: prolonged, low-intensity evolutionary probing where pathogens silently adapt at the animal-human interface. Recent systematic evaluations of cross-species diffusion, such as the spread of H5N1, reveal that our current defenses are designed for the "pandemics of the past" rather than the stealthy, adaptive threats of the future.

Infectious Diseases of Poverty is therefore launching a special thematic series entitled "Beyond the Pandemic Model – Evolutionary Dynamics and Surveillance of Diseases X." We aim to dissect how pathogens utilize complex genetic structures and reassortment capabilities to establish transmission in new mammalian hosts. By creating an "evolutionary theatre" of diverse immunological pressures and ecological niches, these pathogens gradually accumulate the mutations necessary for human spread, often without triggering immediate, severe warning signals. We invite submissions that move beyond the "passive response" strategies of the past, such as reactive vaccine updates, and instead propose systems capable of detecting these subtle adaptations before they reach a critical threshold. The goal is to bridge the dangerous disconnect between animal monitoring and human health networks, ensuring we do not face a mature, well-adapted variant without warning.

This series seeks to redefine the next pandemic not as a singular event, but as a continuous "process" that obscures traditional outbreak timelines. Unlike the decisive jumps modeled in previous scenarios, Disease X may accumulate key mutations through regional, low-pathogenicity transmission, blunting the sensitivity of standard indicators like hospitalization and mortality rates. Consequently, by the time a pandemic is "confirmed," the pathogen may have already circulated widely. To address this, Infectious Diseases of Poverty calls for research that fundamentally redefines "pandemic preparedness" through a One Health lens. We seek manuscripts that integrate animal, human, and environmental surveillance into a cohesive decision-making framework, prioritizing high-resolution genomic monitoring in reservoirs and the incorporation of evolutionary models into public health policy. We are particularly interested in forward-looking strategies, such as platform technologies and universal vaccines, that overcome the time lags of current "catch-up" approaches. The challenge for the global scientific community is to identify trends and intervene *before* an explosion occurs. We welcome your contributions to this essential shift from reactive defense to proactive anticipation in the face of evolving biological threats.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being.

All submissions in this Collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process. Similarly, all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.