BBSRC and Defra have announced a £4 million investment into 10 innovative projects focused on international animal health research.
The £4 million joint investment by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will fund 10 transnational projects that:
- support cross-cutting research and innovation to better understand zoonoses focusing on the animal, human and environmental interface
- develop novel vaccine and diagnostics technology platforms to improve animal health and welfare
UK researchers will partner in nine of the 10 projects.
Moredun are delighted to be awarded funding for “Improved molecular surveillance and assessment of host adaptation and virulence of Coxiella burnetii in Europe”, lead by principal investigator: Dr Tom McNeilly, Moredun Research Institute.
International collaboration
The International Coordination of Research on infectious Animal Diseases (ICRAD) is funded by Horizon 2020. It brings together 21 partners from 17 countries to perform research to address infectious animal disease challenges.
Joint investment from European partners for this funding opportunity totals approximately €12.5 million.
With an overarching aim of improving global animal and human health, this latest investment will increase preparedness and improve our ability to respond to diseases such as:
- avian influenza
- bovine tuberculosis (TB)
- coronavirus
Essential research
The 10 projects receiving funding will:
- increase preparedness to (re)-emerging zoonotic diseases
- improve our ability to respond to zoonotic threats, thereby contributing towards improved animal and human health
- build our understanding of the (re)-emergence of pathogens with zoonotic potential focusing on causes and factors that lead to spill-over and maintenance of pathogens
- build our understanding of animal host-pathogen interactions and the immune response
- develop novel or improved detection and prevention platforms
Copy of the press release including funded projects BBSRC and Defra invest in zoonotic livestock disease research