Despite the many complications relating to the global CoViD-19 crisis, FABI has continued to maintain substantial research momentum. This includes the Institute’s many global collaborative projects such as the China Eucalyptus Research Centre-FABI Tree Protection Programme. For example, during the past week PhD candidate JieQiong Li submitted her thesis despite the fact she was not able to return to South Africa in January to tie up loose ends of her work. JieQiong shared with advisors, Prof. ShuaiFei Chen, Prof. Mike Wingfield and Prof. Irene Barnes, her particular delight in having recently published a paper highlighting patterns of mating type distribution in the important plant and Eucalyptus pathogen Calonectria.  She noted that this paper, published in the mycology journal Persoonia had undergone 40 revisions of the manuscript prior to being published. Highlighting the many challenges that underpin producing high quality research for publication.  JieQiong also remarked that a positive aspect of the CoViD-19 lockdown has been that the CERC team has been able to ‘attend” many FABI seminars via video conferencing - not previously available to them. But that she and the team members also look forward to visiting FABI in person soon.