September2018 NUI Galway to Co-Host Major International Conference in Dublin in 2019

NUI Galway to Co-Host Major International Conference in Dublin in 2019 

Minister Creed welcomes the awarding of First Annual Scientific Meeting of the One Health European Joint Programme to Ireland

Monday, 24 September, 2018: NUI Galway’s Centre for Health from Environment, Ryan Institute is delighted to announce that they will co-host a major international conference, the First Annual Scientific Meeting of the One Health European Joint Programme, which will take place in Dublin from 22-24 May 2019. The event was welcomed by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.

People and animals have a lot in common. We depend on each other to survive. We share the same environment and sometimes the same couch. What’s good for the health of one is usually good for the health of the other. What is bad health for one is also very often bad for the other. For example, both humans and animals use a lot of antibiotics. This has led to the problem of antibiotic resistance which impacts not only humans, but also animals and our environment. The critical link between the health of people, animals and the environment is seen as increasingly important on a very crowded planet. This is captured in the global concept of ‘One Health’ promoted by UN agencies, including the World Health Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The One Health European Joint Programme (EJP) is a European Commission co-funded scientific collaborative research programme to help prevent and control food-borne and environmental contaminants that affect human health and is co-funded under the EU Research and Innovation Framework Programme, Horizon 2020. The One Health European Joint Programme will strengthen cooperation between its 40 partners (including the Med-Vet-Net Association) from 19 Member States. NUI Galway are one of only five Universities in the One Health European Joint Programme consortium.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said: “The hosting of this prestigious meeting arises out of the participation of my Department, Teagasc and NUI Galway in the EU Research and Innovation funded (Horizon 2020) - European Joint Programme on One Health, Zoonoses and Emerging Threats, which is coordinated by the French Agency ANSES.  The One Health project commenced on the 1st January 2018 and represents a significant coordinated investment by participating EU Countries and the EU Commission to combat foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance and emerging risks.”

Dr Dearbháile Morris, lecturer in the School of Medicine at NUI Galway, Deputy Director of the Ryan Institute’s Centre for Health from Environment, and Co-Chair of the organising committee, said: “We are delighted to welcome our European partners to Ireland for the first annual scientific meeting of the One Health EJP. Adopting a One Health approach is key to managing existing and emerging risks to human health. Hosting the first Annual Scientific Meeting of the One Health European Joint Programme in Ireland provides an ideal opportunity to showcase national and international research in the One Health area, foster and enhance ongoing relationships with major research institutes across Europe and build the capacity of Irish researchers to participate in ‘One Health’ research.”

NUI Galway and Teagasc are the Irish scientific partners in the One Health European Joint Programme and were jointly successful in a bid to host the first Annual Scientific Meeting in Ireland. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine strategically participates in the project and has established an Irish EJP Mirror Group for strategic dissemination and exploitation purposes.

Professor Charles Spillane, Director of the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway highlighted: “NUI Galway are delighted to be working with Teagasc under our Strategic Research and Education Alliance to co-host this important conference on One Health. There is an urgent need for more integrated research, innovation and implementation measures on One Health to ensure that zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance do not compromise the health of our societies, both in Ireland and globally.”

The programme has been built upon the principle of co-funding from the participating institutes and the European Union Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. As the largest European Joint Programme investment, it will cost €90 million, where 50% of its funding will come from the European Commission and 50% from the participating Member States.  

For more information about the Centre for Health from Environment at NUI Galway, visit: http://www.nuigalway.ie/cheonehealth/.

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