Veterinary Biocontained facility Network for excellence in animal infectiology research and experimentation

Project Information

VetBioNet

Grant agreement ID: 731014

DOI

10.3030/731014

Project closed

EC signature date 27 March 2017

Start date 1 March 2017

End date 28 February 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Research Infrastructures

Total cost

€ 10 017 890,51

EU contribution

€ 9 999 140,50

Coordinated by

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT
France

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - VetBioNet (Veterinary Biocontained facility Network for excellence in animal infectiology research and experimentation)

Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2023-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

VetBioNet is a 6-year (2017-23) infrastructure project assembling 28 European and international partners from 12 different countries. The overall objective of VetBioNet is to establish and maintain a comprehensive network of pre-eminent high-containment facilities, public or academic research organisations and industry partners that is dedicated to advance research on epizootic and zoonotic diseases. To reach this overall objective VetBioNet specifically aims to:
- provide free-of-charge access to the infrastructure resources of the network, including biocontained animal facilities or laboratories, technological platforms and sample collections;
- enhance the preparedness of the major European high-containment research infrastructures to accelerate the response to (re)emerging epizootic and zoonotic disease threats;
- harmonise Best Practices and promote the use of global standards in high-containment animal facilities;
- forge cooperative relationships with non-European high-containment infrastructures, research networks, industry, international organisations and policy makers;
- ensure high ethical standards and clarify the social impact of the VetBioNet research work; and
- carry out research activities designed to improve the scientific and technological standards of the services offered by the network.
Despite the evident impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the project performance in 2020/21 (necessitating a 12-month project prolongation), the VetBioNet project has successfully reached its overall objective and achieved all of its 101 project deliverables. The network is today recognised as a major stakeholder in the European research and preparedness response to (re-)emerging infectious disease outbreaks, and is one of the 17 research infrastructures or networks taking part in the ISIDORe (Integrated Services for Infectious Disease Outbreak research) infrastructure project (Horizon Europe, 2022-25).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

A total of 75 TNA applications (12 in the 4th reporting period) have been received and processed by the TNA access-point (TNAAP). 51 projects (11 in the 4th reporting period) have been approved following review by the User Selection Panel (USP). TNA users came from 20 different countries (10 EU member states and 10 associated/third or international countries).
The “Veterinary Emerging Threat Response Group” (VETRG) has been set up as a consultation group to deliberate on the project’s means to respond to imminent and/or predictable emerging infectious disease threats. An internal call for projects related to African swine fever (ASF) or zoonotic flavivirus infections was launched in November 2019 using a €240.000 Emergency Fund (EF) ringfenced for urgent and/or priority research responses. Three projects related to ASF have been selected for EF support and were successfully terminated in the 4th reporting period.
The use of a VetBioNet area on the International Veterinary Biosafety Work Group (IVBW) website allowed widespread dissemination of project outputs regarding Best Practices in high-containment animal facilities, including high-containment farmed animal facilities (HCFAFs) and aquatic animal facilities. Eight Best Practices guideline documents were published on the VetBioNet website.
Project activities interrogating the ethical and social dimensions of the VetBioNet research work led to the production of 6 public reports or guideline documents as well as various online resources and tools related to the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement).
For the VetBioNet website >200.000 visitors and >2.500.000 page-clicks have been recorded. Two short videos presenting VetBioNet topics available on YouTube had a total of >1000 call-ups. Three webinars were livestreamed and published on the VetBioNet website. Three training events have been organised in the 4th reporting period and 5 in total. A database has been created to share data generated by the project (including both internal/confidential and public data entries).
VetBioNet sustainability is, at least in parts, achieved by the network’s participation in the ISIDORe consortium. The VetBioNet Sustainability Board has launched the procedure for creating a VetBioNet European Research Group (ERG) and an ERG draft agreement has been circulated among the network partners.
Various livestock models have been developed for infection studies with highly pathogenic animal viruses. Reservoir host models have been developed for infection studies with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), influenza A virus (IAV) and Rift Valley fever virus. Animal models have been developed for airborne infection studies with SARS-CoV-2 and IAV. Fish models have been developed for infection studies with various viral pathogens. Numerous alternative infection models based on immortalised primary cells, organoids, viable tissue explants and embryonated chicken eggs have been developed.
Transcriptomics and deep-sequencing approaches to analyse the livestock (swine, cattle, poultry) host response to pathogen infection or the plasticity of viral infection within the infected host have been developed. Diagnostic assays have been developed to help speed up pathogen and infection detection in rabbits, salmonids and ruminants.
New telemetric tools and protocols have been developed to monitor physiological parameters and behaviour in livestock, fish and laboratory animals.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

TNA provided by the VetBioNet project consisted in the free-of-charge access to the rare and highly sought-after infrastructure resources of the network. The TNA project call was organised as a permanent call (from January 2018 to September 2022) and has led to the successful implementation of 51 user projects, including 3 projects with users from the private sector. Joint Research Activities (JRAs) performed by the partners were aiming to improve the scientific and technical standards of the services offered by VetBioNet. JRAs have led to the development of new live animal or alternative models for a number of high-impact epizootic and zoonotic diseases. Other JRAs have helped advancing the state-of-the-art of the current analytical, telemetric or bioimaging approaches in animal infectious disease research. Five private partners were directly involved in the VetBioNet JRAs, thus allowing technologic developments at an advanced Technology Readiness Level and the potential commercialisation of some project outputs.
The overall goal of the project’s Networking Activities (NAs) was to foster the cooperation between the consortium partners and forge cooperative relationships with other European or international research initiatives, industrial stakeholders, international organizations and policy makers. A Preparedness Plan has been put into action to establish VetBioNet as an important player in the European emergency response to infectious disease outbreaks. VetBioNet NAs addressing Best Practices and the harmonisation of protocols and procedures have helped advancing the biosafety standards in high-containment research facilities and may inform future EU guidelines or regulations. NAs interrogating the ethical and social dimensions of the VetBioNet research activities have led to the production of various public reports and represent a social science approach that is probably unique among the European life science infrastructure projects in the One Health field.

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