The UK-China Centre for Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases (CERAD) aims to establish a networking and discussion platform for researchers and stakeholders with interests in avian diseases, fostering collaboration between the UK and China.
By exploiting these collaborative research and networking opportunities, CERAD will establish multi-disciplinary research portfolios globally to better understand the pathogenesis, economic losses, transmission biology and control strategies of avian diseases in production animals.
Jointly established by The Pirbright Institute in the UK and the Shandong Binzhou Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine Academy in China, the UK-China CERAD is a virtual centre for cutting-edge research and training. It facilitates collaboration between UK and Chinese scientists and students through joint research projects, exchange visits for training and education on innovative disease control technologies, and the organisation of international conferences.
Major activities of the UK-China CERAD:
1. Generating epidemiological datasets on the incidence of avian diseases and the diversity of avian pathogens in China. The network of Chinese investigators with access to the poultry farms across the country will help to generate epidemiological datasets on the prevalence of avian diseases and diversity of avian pathogens in different geographical areas over different periods of time.
2. Research priorities of the major diseases as will be identified from the epidemiological data. The research focus will initially be on developing improved diagnostics and novel vaccine approaches using recombinant vaccine technology specifically incorporating antigens from pathogens circulating in China.
3. Collaborations between the scientists from the participating Institutes in the UK-China CERAD will be developed for submitting new research grant applications to secure additional funding in areas such as the use of novel adjuvants as well as to develop better correlates of immune responses to vaccines.
4. The Joint Centre will take active role in providing training for PhD students and young post-doctoral scientists in developing skills and expertise in advanced tools to equip them as the next generation of researchers in avian diseases. This will also include organising National/International Scientific Conferences in the two countries.
5. UK-China CERAD will also encourage the researchers in knowledge exchange and commercialisation, and funding generated from these activities will be used for sustaining the activities of the Centre in advancing avian disease research.
