The end of the beginning

It is difficult now to recall that, prior to 2004, research in food-borne zoonoses in Europe, although of high quality, was fragmented with scientists on the human and veterinary side often working in isolation and sometimes even in opposition. This is contrary to the ‘view’ of disease-causing micro-organisms, who do not differentiate between humans and animals as their hosts, know no boundaries — political, social, economic or geographical, and colonize a wide diversity of ecological niches. In relation to food-borne zoonoses, with the massive increase in food imports both into and between European Member States, particularly over the last 10 to 15 years, it was obvious to many that a joined-up research-based approach, bringing together scientists from the human and veterinary disciplines to combat food-borne zoonotic disease threats in Europe was urgently needed. After considerable political pressure, that need was recognized by far-sighted people in the EU resulting in the formation, in September 2004, of Med Vet Net.

So what has the Network achieved in its five years of existence? A principal achievement must be the formation of a series of interactive groups of highly-motivated, like-minded scientists dedicated to research in food-borne and other zoonoses throughout the European scientific community. Such groups including laboratory based researchers, epidemiologists and risk assessors, have all worked together towards the common objective of combating zoonotic diseases in humans and animals. There is now an unprecedented level of collaboration across the spectrum between Med-Vet-Net scientists in different European countries, who know each other personally and respect and trust each other’s work and values. These groups have been supported in their activities by the highly sophisticated Med-Vet-Net communications structure, which is now the envy of many other scientific networks both in Europe and world-wide. Many of these groups have now joined together in taking forward new collaborative ventures, which will continue long after funding for Med-Vet-Net has finished.

Delegates at Madrid Meeting

A key aspect of Med-Vet-Net’s success has been its training programme, which has provided training, either individually or in groups, to numerous young scientists from all 15 of the Network’s participating institutes and in all aspects of the Network’s activities, including laboratory work, epidemiology, risk assessment and science communication. Additionally, many scientists from outside the Network have benefited from the training thereby ensuring transfer of Med-Vet-Net’s massive accumulated expertise to other countries both within and outside the EU. In particular, it is particularly rewarding to see how scientists, who in the early days of the Network were regarded as ‘junior’, have benefited from the training, and are now leading collaborative research groups in several European countries in their own right.

A ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Network has, of course, been the Med-Vet-Net Annual Scientific Meeting, held annually at venues throughout Europe, and which has gone from strength-to-strength since its inception in 2005. Each year scientists from all disciplines have enjoyed first-class presentations in a wide range of zoonotic areas and, particularly for young scientists, have taken full advantage of the event to socialise with colleagues from different institutes and countries — science has no boundaries in this respect!

So what of the future? Funding for continuation of the Network has been secured in the short term through the formation of the Med-Vet-Net Association, launched in early October. All existing Med-Vet-Net scientific institutes are members of the new Association and several institutes and research groups outside Med Vet Net have expressed interest in joining. This means that, for the immediate future, the aims and objectives of Med Vet Net’s research network will continue, ensuring ongoing benefits to human and animal health in the EU and world wide.

As a scientist, I never doubted that research in zoonoses is global and that European scientists wished to work together in this respect. Med Vet Net has more than filled my expectations. It has been a pleasure to work with such a dynamic group of people and to have contributed, albeit in a small way, to the formation of a truly pan-European scientific research network.

Thank you all for your support during my tenure as Project Manager for Med-Vet-Net. It has been great to work with you.

Best wishes and good luck for the future!

John Threlfall
Med-Vet-Net Project Manager