When SIRCAH2 was launched in October 2022, the STAR-IDAZ IRC had 28 partners from 19 countries. The membership of the IRC has increased to 36 partners with eight new partners joining since the start of SIRCAH2. The more partners in the IRC, the more research funding can be coordinated and focused, and the more information on research activities can be accessed. This will mean the IRC can have a larger, more focused and so more effective impact.
Enhanced research coordination has been supported through the organisation of 5 Executive Committee meetings, 7 Scientific Committee meetings, 20 Regional Networks meetings and working group activities including 19 gap analysis workshops on 16 priority topics.
In order to focus funding and efforts to the identified research priorities, research roadmaps are being developed for each priority disease or issue. Starting with the desired outcome, which is often a target product profile (TPP), these roadmaps lay out the research questions that need to be addressed working back from translational research gaps to the more basic science knowledge gaps. The roadmaps are based on ‘Leads’ which consider the i) Research Questions (“What is the problem we are trying to solve?”), ii) Challenges (“What are the scientific and technological challenges or knowledge gaps that need to be address?”), iii) Solution Routes (“What approaches could and should be taken to address the Research Questions?”), iv) Dependencies (“What needs to be done before we can solve this?”) and v) State of the Art, which includes the existing knowledge including the successes and failures.
These roadmaps are made available on a publicly accessible IT platform, where ongoing and planned research projects are linked to the Challenges associated with each Lead. Working collaboratively with the Scientific Committee and STAR-IDAZ Working Groups of experts, SIRCAH2 have developed or updated, validated and published roadmaps for bovine tuberculosis, African Swine Fever, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, and Avian Influenza, Corona viruses, vector transmission control and alternatives to antimicrobials. Other policy recommendations have been produced on One Health and Finfish health. SIRCAH2 supported a review publication on Veterinary Mycoplasmas followed by two workshops focused on Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), as well as a workshop on “Platform Technologies for Veterinary Vaccines Against Bacterial Diseases". SIRCAH2 is also working towards establishing a new Working Group on aquatic diseases, following the recommendations of the Scientific and Executive Committees.
