The government and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have unveiled details on £54m of investment on various projects to tackle some of the national biosecurity and disease threats facing UK livestock.
The funding is intended to help prepare for future epidemics, tackle antimicrobial resistance and accelerate the development of next-generation animal vaccines.
The 18 projects range from improving preparedness for future disease outbreaks to developing mRNA vaccines for livestock and tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Among the projects:
- The Univesity of Sheffield’s Peter Dodd will develop a data-driven approach to understanding, predicting, and preventing African swine fever in the UK and Southeast Asia.
- Professor Simon Graham of The Pirbright Institute will develop next-generation mRNA vaccine platforms for animal health, building technologies that could enable faster responses to emerging livestock diseases and reduce economic impacts on farmers and food producers.
- Professor Kavita Vedhara of Cardiff University will investigate how the interactions between human behaviour, social settings and public trust influence how diseases emerge and spread, helping develop new ways to predict, prevent and prepare for future outbreaks.
- Professor Jonathan Heeney of the University of Cambridge will use artificial intelligence to create plug-and-play vaccine antigens against animal and zoonotic pathogens, helping accelerate vaccine development for future disease threats.
- Several projects will tackle antimicrobial resistance across food, farming and environmental systems, including reducing inappropriate antibiotic use, addressing airborne fungal resistance and supporting antimicrobial stewardship in agriculture and aquaculture.
These programmes aim to strengthen the UK’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats affecting people and their livelihoods, wildlife, and ecosystems.
The researchers will work with international partners, taking an approach that recognises the links between human, animal and environmental health, and draws on multiple disciplines to tackle complex challenges in a rapidly changing world.
Pooling expertise
UKRI Executive Champion for Tackling Infections and BBSRC Executive Chair, Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, said: “By pooling expertise from across the research and innovation ecosystem in the UK and globally, we can tackle related infectious disease challenges in a more coordinated way to get ahead of emerging biological threats and help protect people, animals, plants and the environment, both in the UK and internationally. Ultimately, it will advance knowledge, improve lives, and drive growth.”
UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: “Investing in cutting-edge research across animal, plant and human health is vital to strengthening our national biosecurity, ensuring we are prepared for future disease threats and able to respond rapidly when they emerge.
“These projects, supported by funding from Defra, will drive innovation in next-generation veterinary vaccines, strengthen epidemic preparedness and help tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.”