R&E networking and medical communities join forces to combat dengue fever

National Research and Education Networks (NREN) have and continue to have a major impact on the development of a nation. Providing high-speed connectivity and associated services to the research and education (R&E) communities, they enable researchers and scientists to collaborate with their counterparts around the world and participate in cutting-edge scientific research and capacity building. In this paper we will look at how NRENs are moving beyond these traditional users with demanding networking needs to become more inclusive. A case study is used to show how NRENs have started to embrace and nurture the infection diseases community with particular emphasis on dengue fever. The paper will further outline the development of a workshop concept which started off in one region and progressively spread across other parts of the world, providing a platform for collaboration with immense community-building potential.