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Med-Vet-Net is the European Network of Excellence for Zoonoses research.
Zoonoses are diseases that are naturally transmitted from animals to man.
Med-Vet-Net aims to develop a network of excellence for the integration of veterinary, medical and food scientists, in the field of food safety, at the European Level, in order to improve research on the prevention and control of zoonoses, including food-borne diseases. The Network will also take into account the public health concerns of consumers and other stakeholders throughout the food chain.
Med-Vet-Net comprises 16 partners across Europe and over 300 scientists. The institutes involved consist of eight veterinary, seven public health institutes and one learned society from 10 European countries. All partner institutes have national reference laboratory-based responsibilities for the prevention and control of zoonoses.
The Network officially commenced on 1 September 2004. It is funded for five years at a cost of €14.4 million (£10 million) by the European Union (EU) 6th Framework Programme, within the 'Quality and Safety of Food' Priority Area.
Initially around 300 key scientists, with complementary expertises and skills, have been identified from these institutes. Many of these key scientists are internationally renowned experts in their fields. The network will also generate a "cloud" of associate institutes contributing to the available expertise and enabling the spreading of excellence. To this end a SME specialising in the dissemination of scientific knowledge is also included in the partnership. SfAM is this partner institute and runs the Communications Unit of the network. Organisational workpackages will develop activities to enable integration, including structured and systematic communications, both electronically and through meetings, and training/continuous professional development.
To find out more about Med-Vet-Net please visit: www.medvetnet.org
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