On October 9-10, 2019, the kick-off meeting of funding organizations and participants of the project “International coordination of research in the field of infectious diseases of animals ICRAD” was held in Copenhagen. The ICRAD project is carried out within the framework of ERA.Net within the EU Framework programme “Horizon 2020”. A joint call of transnational research projects will be announced within ICRAD on November 14, 2019. Additional information about the call and ICRAD project is available on the official website of ICRAD https://www.icrad.eu.

Representatives of funding organizations and ICRAD consortium members took part in the kick-off meeting. Irina Kuklina, Executive Director, and Anastasia Zadorina, Deputy Executive Director for international scientific and technical cooperation, represented the ICISTE at the meeting.

During the meeting, the participants discussed in detail the ICRAD work plan, including organizational and financial aspects, as well as ethics issues.  Reports were made on the role of ICRAD in iERA.Net, as well as highlights the current problems and challenges that researches face in the field of infectious diseases of animals.

The aim of ICRAD is support cross-cutting research to improve animal health and welfare, with associated benefits towards public health, the environment and the economy, and connect research partners with different but complementary scientific and technological expertise to maximise resources and share risks, costs and skills.

The ICRAD consortium consists of 28 participants from 20 countries: 24 from EU member States, 2 from Turkey, 1 from Switzerland. On the part of the Russian Federation, the ICISTE participates in the consortium.