EPIZONE plays a central role in prevention and control of animal diseases and will contribute to limiting both the risks and damage caused by those diseases in the EU and beyond.
Mutual profits
Current progress in research on epizootic diseases,
throughout Europe, is highly fragmented. That's the reason why
there is duplication of efforts, the failure to harvest the
benefits of shared data and resources, and the synergy of joint
knowledge. Thanks to the EPIZONE network, all available knowledge
and experience will be shared. Obviously it is far more efficient
and cost effective to profit from methodologies, processes, models,
and tests developed by others.
Collaboration Europe, China and Turkey
EPIZONE includes 19 partners: 17 institutes of veterinary
science, health and agronomy: 14 institutes from all over Europe, 2
institutes in China and 1 institute in Turkey, the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and 1 Small and Medium Enterprise,
Digital Value, for developing the website.
Global dimension
EPIZONE includes over 300 acknowledged experts in animal
diseases. The inclusion of China, Turkey, the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO), and several partners with an excellent network
outside the European Union ensure a global dimension. The
excellence of the partners in EPIZONE is demonstrated by the number
of reference laboratories involved. All partners together are
responsible for 55 OIE, 18 FAO, 12 EU and 4 WHO reference
laboratory tasks.
EPIZONE's fields of interest
EPIZONE covers all fields of interest concerning epizootic
diseases of poultry, swine, fishes, sheep, cattle, horses, and
wildlife.
Scientific Themes are distinguished on the fields
of
- Diagnostics
- Intervention Strategies
- Surveillance and Epidemiology
- Risk Assessment
EPIZONE, EPICENTRE of knowledge
EPIZONE brings scientists together and thereby improves
understanding in local situations concerning animal related food
production in the various member states.
As a consequence, scientific opinions and recommendations will be internationally based, agreed, and accepted. EPIZONE intends to function as a platform and provide a think-tank of highly qualified scientists that develop new strategies and tools to face new challenges in the future. EPIZONE may also stimulate specific research. Access to different types of databases, and key-experts, methods, reagents, reports etc. can be easily traced via the EPIZONE website.
Communication as a weapon against outbreaks
To combat animal diseases, speed at all levels and in all
aspects is crucial. One of these is communication in order to
support others in combating animal diseases by sharing knowledge
and experiences. An example demonstrating the need for speed
occurred shortly after EPIZONE's official launch in 2006.
Approximately two months later, North-West Europe was hit by
bluetongue, an unexpected and new animal disease for this part of
Europe. Very quick and direct communication resulted in an
effective and very helpful exchange of information to harmonise the
control of this outbreak on EU level. Thanks to the EPIZONE
network, fragmented knowledge and experience will be consolidated
and shared. This will result in the durable integration of the
partners research capacities supported by excellent communication
within and outside of the EPIZONE network.
EPIZONE ERG April 2012
EPIZONE will (after 5 years EU funding) continue to
develop new strategies and tools to face challenges in the future
and will remain a solid network in the coming years. Through
creation of the EPIZONE European Research Group (ERG),
1st January 2012, we want to keep the successful EPIZONE
community together. In the EPIZONE ERG the partner institutes will
participate in cooperative research and also support the ERG
financially. The Central Veterinary Institute, in the Netherlands
by ProfessorWim van der Poel will continue as the coordinator
of EPIZONE.