Concerted veterinary research in China and the EU
The fight against animal diseases relies heavily on the research community developing new intervention tools such as vaccines or new surveillance strategies. Understanding disease emergence and spread could lead to novel diagnostics and approaches for prevention and control. International collaboration has the potential to speed up relevant scientific advances through concerted efforts, sharing of ideas and expertise. Livestock health challenges require the optimisation of resources and the coordination of international funding. In this context, the EU-funded LinkTADs (Linking epidemiology and laboratory research on transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses in China and EU) project coordinated research on disease epidemiology and laboratory diagnostics between partners in two major worldwide players in animal health research: the EU and China. Project partners focused on establishing a broad network of scientific institutions on animal health via workshops, short visits and exchanges. Activities concentrated on ongoing and future animal health research, training programmes, and innovation projects in the field of veterinary science. This was mostly achieved by the creation of mechanisms to establish sustainable collaborations, such as joint laboratories, workshops dedicated to the write-up of project concept notes, joint project submissions, etc. At the beginning of the project, participating institutions agreed on the areas in animal health that were priority to both regions. They conducted joint research on transboundary animal diseases (TADs), including those transmitted to humans (i.e. zoonoses), ensuring close coordination between epidemiology and laboratory fields, the two main relevant areas of expertise. Furthermore, research gaps were identified and activities heightened to increase future knowledge and catalyse new research collaborations and funds. Researchers also formulated policies on animal health between EU and China and an online platform(opens in new window) was developed as an information portal to continue the EU-China cooperation in the field of animal health beyond the project completion. The collaboration was further strengthened through exchange programmes and visits, while a dissemination campaign supported its worldwide impact. Overall, the LinkTADs cooperative effort between EU and China on animal health is expected to contribute towards tackling animal diseases and sustaining animal health on a global front.
