The outbreak of novel coronavirus in China has sparked global concern. It is a common challenge facing humankind and requires joint efforts of all countries. Research is an integral part of the outbreak response. Bringing the global scientific community together and harnessing the collective wisdom is critical to battle epidemic and other challenges.

On the basis of mutual trust established through long-term and close cooperation, we (the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the German Research Foundation) call upon the scientific communities to:

1.Identify the urgent priorities for research: to enhance understanding of the novel coronavirus and prediction of its epidemic trend, so as to provide a scientific basis for strategic analyses and decisions, as well as effective prevention and control measures.

2.Promote communication and openness: to engage in international academic exchanges, share research outcomes, and provide a source of wisdom for global research, prevention and control of the epidemic.

3. Adopt a long-term perspective: to strengthen international collaborative research in areas of epidemiology, virology and emergency management, and provide policy suggestions and fundamental guarantees for humanity to find shared answers to shared problems.

     We believe that, by bringing together global wisdom, the light of science will illuminate the way forward for epidemic prevention and control, and for global public health in general.