Support for international research on animal health

This global initiative will consolidate and deepen international research cooperation in the area of animal health, in particular infectious animal diseases, including zoonoses and parasites, and related issues such as anti-microbial resistance. It will build on existing activities of the STAR-IDAZ[[http://www.star-idaz.net/]] global network of research programme owners and funding organisations by bringing together researchers and organisations investing in animal disease research (funding bodies) in order to achieve specific targets relating to the prevention and control of priority animal diseases and zoonoses and related issues such as anti-microbial resistance. The action will lead to the setting up of a scientific secretariat to provide organisational support for the achievement of the goals of the global infectious diseases of animals and zoonoses consortium (STAR-IDAZ) in close cooperation with the European Commission, and research-funding agencies in Member States and the third countries involved. It will involve assisting the consortium executive committee, establishing and running working groups on priority diseases and issues, and organising research gap analysis meetings. It will support information exchange among members of the participating organisations at all levels. It will communicate progress on consortium research, including collecting and disseminating pertinent information and results to the researchers funded by the consortium members.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude the submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Animal diseases can cause serious social, economic and environmental damage and in some cases threaten human health. An increasing number of major disease problems or threats faced by the livestock industry and zoonoses are global in scale.

Improved coordination of and international cooperation on research is needed to expedite the development of better prevention and control methods, ensure the sustainability of livestock industries and protect human health.

• The project should contribute to achieving overall STAR-IDAZ goals. It will support cooperation in the consortium, including by organising meetings, internal and external communication, shared data, research results and common databases.
• It will help mobilise and coordinate the global research effort to address the existing and emerging disease challenges, including anti-microbial resistance, and so hasten the delivery of new or improved control tools or strategies.
• It will support more focused effort through research gap analysis, prioritisation, and alignment of research programmes and coordination of research activities, which over five years will result in new or improved disease-control tools, including vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and/or critical scientific information informing efforts to control specific target diseases.
• More generally and in the longer term, through providing support for STAR-IDAZ activities, it will contribute to the improvement of animal health internationally, to a decreased risk to human health from animal infections and related threats, while improving the efficiency and competitiveness of livestock production, and global food security.