The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) is an Italian public health institute which conducts control and research activities and provides services in the fields of animal health, food safety and zoonoses. It was founded on June, 14, 1929 in Padua and today it is part of the Italian National Health Service, together with other nine other similar institutes, each of which covers a specific geographical area of Italy.
The IZSVe is responsible for the North East of Italy, and its headquarter is located at Legnaro, Padova. It employs about 600 people, including veterinarians, biologists, chemists, technicians and administration staff.
Role in OneBAT:
As Coordinator of the Project, IZSVE will lead investigations into the potential transmission of viruses from bats to other animals and humans. IZSVe will follow the achievement of all objectives, including training and communication. The group will lead WP2, investigating the dynamics of diseases in the bat host. In addition, IZSVe will be actively involved in ecological and ecopathological field investigations, in the diagnosis of infections from bats and the environment, in animal experiments to asses the pathogenicity of lyssaviruses and their response to available terapeutic agents and in the development of new methods.
The Institut Pasteur, founded in 1887 in Paris by Louis Pasteur, is a renowned research institution specializing in infectious diseases, microbiology, and immunology. It has been instrumental in developing vaccines for diseases like rabies. The institute maintains a global presence through affiliated research centers, conducting pioneering research and contributing significantly to public health advancements. The Institut Pasteur develops many major international projects in partnership with the main international scientific authorities such as the World Health Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health and many research institutions, foundations, universities and other private actors worldwide. In addition, the Institut Pasteur is at the heart of the Pasteur Network, with more than 30 members around the world linked by missions of research, public health and education.
Role in OneBAT:
Institut Pasteur (IP) assumes a pivotal role in the development of new resources to study bat viruses, including molecular and serological tools for easier, faster and more effective diagnosis and new substrate to isolate and investigate bat viruses avoiding the use of laboratory animals. The group will act as leader of WP4, devolved in the establishment of a methodological platform within the consortium, and supporting partners through technical trainings. In addition, IP will be actively involved in the diagnosis of infections from bats and the environment, and the study of the virus pathogenicity in bat cell cultures.
BEWH is the Belgium branch of the Italian company Warrant Hub S.p.A. – Tinexta Group, a privately held consultancy services company that provides full-spectrum consulting in business finance. BEWH has extensive experience in project management, communication, dissemination, and exploitation of project results, as well as environmental, economic, and social impact assessment. BEWH offers a methodological and strategic approach for the successful implementation of EU-funded research and innovation projects.
Role in OneBAT:
BEWH functions as the project’s communications strategist, tasked with articulating its narrative to diverse audiences. They will establish a distinct project identity, complete with a logo and website. Additionally, they will organize a prominent event to disseminate key findings and advancements.
Warrant Hub, part of Tinexta Business Innovation, is the leading strategic and financial consulting company for innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable business development. With a structure of over 900 professionals, Warrant Hub has been operating for almost 30 years throughout Italy. It has gained experience in different sectors of the industrial fabric, building a portfolio of over 10,000 clients. The network of partnerships in academia, technology, finance, and institutions allows Warrant Hub to present itself as a partner capable of supporting companies in the increasingly complex challenges they face. To support research, development and innovation projects, production investments and digitalisation, the Warrant Hub team provides companies with its transversal, technical and technological skills, and its many years of experience in the field of concessional finance. Founded in Correggio where it maintains its headquarters, it operates throughout Italy as well as in Belgium, Bulgaria, France, and Spain.
Since 2008, the European Funding Development (EFD) Business Unit of Warrant Hub S.p.A supports enterprises and private and public bodies, at national and international level, in participating to and managing Research and Innovation projects funded by the European Commission. EFD offers methodological and strategic consultancy for approach and participation in European research and innovation funding programmes, like Horizon Europe and LIFE Programme, in a complete cycle from the analysis of the sectorial policies to the conclusion of the research and innovation projects. EFD supports its customers and partners in networking, project ideas definition, project planning/submission, negotiation, management, dissemination, and exploitation of project results. EFD also participate directly to the European projects with the roles of coordinator and partner for project management, communication, dissemination, and exploitation.
Role in OneBAT:
WH serves as the project’s networking expert, facilitating connections with stakeholders interested in the research and taking the lead of WP5 regarding Communication and Dissemination activities of the project.
Founded in 1450, the UB is the largest of the six universities in Barcelona and of the ten in Catalonia. It offers degrees in 73 different fields of study, with numerous postgraduate and doctoral programmes, as well as continuing education courses, with more than 62,000 students per year and a team of almost 6,400 teachers and researchers and 2,400 administrative and service staff.
It is the first Spanish university and the twenty-third European institution in terms of scientific quality and productivity and is considered one of the top 200 universities in the world in the most influential global rankings. It manages an average of 125 European research projects a year with a budget of around 60 million euros and, since 2010, is the only Spanish university to belong to the prestigious League of European Research Universities (LERU), an association of leading research-intensive universities that share the values of quality teaching in an environment of internationally competitive research.
The UB has been awarded with the Human Resources Excellence in Research Award by EURAXESS, which means that the institution is committed to continuously improving its Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) and aligning it with the principles set out in the Charter & Code.
Role in OneBAT:
UB will contibute in the study of bat populations and virus dynamics within their reservoir host, namely in the long-fingered bat. Also, the laboratory will investigate the use of environmental samples to reduce animal disturbance while securing longitudinal monitoring.
AVVALE is an international IT consulting company that specializes in providing digital transformation and technology solutions to businesses. Headquartered in Italy, Techedge operates globally, offering services that encompass areas such as enterprise applications, cloud computing, analytics, and customer experience.
The company focuses on helping organizations leverage innovative technologies to enhance their operational efficiency, improve business processes, and drive overall growth. Techedge often collaborates with leading technology providers and works across various industries, including manufacturing, finance, and services.
Role in OneBAT:
AVVALE will be responsible for the implementationand maintenance of the researcher’s web portal and the risk assessment tool for stakeholders. AVVALE will be also participating to the dissemination activities.
ANSES is the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail) in France. ANSES is a public administrative agency responsible for assessing and ensuring the safety of food products, the environment, and the workplace.
Established in 2010 through the merger of several French agencies, ANSES plays a crucial role in conducting scientific research, risk assessments, and providing expertise to inform public policies related to health and safety. The agency’s work encompasses a wide range of areas, including food safety, chemical and biological hazards, environmental health, and occupational safety.
Role in OneBAT:
ANSES leads the engagement with external stakeholders and networking activities. Leveraging existing relationships, they aim to build a strong network informed about bat ecology, virus surveillance, and laboratory techniques. In addition, ANSES will be in charge of the diagnosis of viral infections from French long-fingered bats, contributing to the definition of viral dynamics within these bat species.
ANSES Local partners
- France Nature Environnement Nouvelle-Aquitaine:
FNE NA is a confederation of more than 200 NGOs in 12 departments in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, in southwestern France. FNE NA carries out nature studies, develops conservation programs, and mobilizes citizens for nature conservation.
FNE NA has had a historic partnership since 2016 with the LBBE lab (UCB-Lyon). We work on six endangered bat species on different themes within this program (population monitoring, demographic parameters, and networks using capture/recapture methods, landscape ecology, and eco-epidemiology).
As regards to their role in OneBat project, they organize and manage sampling field campaigns (collection of biological data and pit tagging) in France.
- Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (LPO):
Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (LPO) acts in favor of biodiversity throughout Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region. It’s an NGO for nature conservation, divided into 12 departments in southern east France that carries out nature studies, develops conservation programs and mobilizes citizens for nature conservation.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment aims at promoting sustainable development for agriculture and fishing, while contributing to environmental protection and sustainable management of both the environment and Cyprus natural resources through projects, initiatives and actions.
The Ministry’s vision is a sustainable, “green” and “clean” Cyprus, which develops along the principles of sustainable development in agriculture and fishing, protects the environmental and manages natural resources effectively, while creating employment opportunities and enhancing the citizens’ quality of life.
Role in OneBAT:
MARDE’s will be performing the fieldwork at the edge of the European distribution of the long-fingered bat, to better define the distribution of associated viruses. Also, Cyprus is a strategic location to investigate the movements of bats across the Mediterranean area.
Boston University Medical Campus is actively involved in medical research, healthcare delivery, and training healthcare professionals. The Trustees of Boston University oversee the governance and administration of the university, including its medical campus.
Role in OneBAT:
BU has been involved as extra-EU partner due to their extensive expertise in the study of filoviruses. In particular, the lab will contribute to the design of research tools that allow to safely study highly pathogenic viruses and conduct viral infection studies.
Kharkiv National Pedagogical University (KhNPU) named after G.S. Skovoroda is a prominent educational institution in Ukraine. The university has a rich history dating back to its establishment. Here’s a brief historical description:
Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, founded in 1804, has evolved over the years to become a leading center for teacher training and education in Ukraine. The university was named after the renowned philosopher and poet G.S. Skovoroda, emphasizing its commitment to intellectual and cultural development. Throughout its history, the university has played a crucial role in shaping the education system and producing skilled educators for the region and beyond.
Role in OneBAT:
KhNPU focuses on fostering collaborative training initiatives. They contribute to scientist exchanges, webinars, and a comprehensive training course, ensuring the dissemination of knowledge in the field of virus surveillance. In addition, the team will help monitoring a possible northwart expansion of the long-fingered bat, currently not present in the coutry and will contribute in the surveillance for target viruses using other bat species collected in the framework of passive surveillance.
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, commonly known as Lyon 1, originated from the 1808 establishment of the Faculty of Sciences. The university, named after physiologist Claude Bernard, evolved from the University of Lyon’s restructuring in 1971. Lyon 1 focuses on science, health, and technology disciplines, maintaining a strong reputation for academic excellence and research contributions. With roots dating back to the 19th century, it continues to play a pivotal role in French higher education.
Role in OneBAT:
UCB will be responbile for all fieldwork activities performed in France, helping to unravel the distribution, movements and infection rate of long-fingered bats, in addiction with possible interactions with other wildlife.
The University of Sussex (UoS) is a renowned higher education institution located in Brighton, England. Established in 1961, Sussex has earned a reputation for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education and research. The university is known for fostering a dynamic and inclusive academic environment.
Sussex offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various disciplines, emphasizing research-led teaching. The campus is recognized for its modern architecture and picturesque setting. Sussex is committed to promoting diversity, sustainability, and social responsibility, reflecting its values in both academic and campus life.
Throughout its history, the University of Sussex has been a hub for groundbreaking research and intellectual exploration. It continues to be a prominent institution, contributing to advancements in knowledge and providing students with a vibrant and intellectually stimulating educational experience
Role in OneBAT:
UoS will be leading the work package 1 on bat ecology and distribution. The group will model the distribution of different bat species, their overlap with humans and will infer estimate changes upon climate changes. As regards to the miniopterus, the group will further investigate interactions between bats and potential spillover hosts to assess the exposure risks. In addition, UoS will be in charge of downstream analyses of all ecological, virological and serological data collected within the project, in order to model the dynamics of bat viruses and their likelihood of emergence.
The University of Pécs (Pécsi Tudományegyetem or UP) is a prominent institution of higher education located in Pécs, Hungary. Established in 1367, it holds the distinction of being one of the oldest universities in Central Europe. The university has a rich history and has played a crucial role in Hungary’s academic and cultural development.
The University of Pécs offers a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various disciplines, including arts and sciences, health sciences, engineering, business, and more. Known for its commitment to academic excellence and research, UP has gained recognition both nationally and internationally.
The National Laboratory of Virology (NLV) was established at UP to promote effective and modern virological research as well as international pandemic preparedness efforts. The NLV operates the only academic BSL-4 laboratory in Central-Europe.
Role in OneBAT:
UP takes charge of WP3 investigating human susceptibility to target pathogens and their zoonotic potential. Specifically, they will investigate the pathogenic potential of the filovirus Lloviu and its response to available antivirals in the BSL-4 laboratory environment. In addition, UP will contribute in most work packages, including fieldwork and lab investigation for different pathogens, genetic and phylogenetic analyses and the development of sequencing and diagnostic approaches.
The University of Kent is a reputable institution of higher education situated in Canterbury, England, with additional campuses in Medway and Tonbridge. Established in 1965, the university has quickly become known for its progressive approach to education and research.
The University of Kent offers a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various disciplines, emphasizing innovation and interdisciplinary studies. It is recognized for its international outlook, fostering a global community of students and academics. The campus environments, including the iconic Canterbury campus, provide modern facilities for teaching, learning, and research.
Known for its commitment to academic excellence and inclusivity, the University of Kent is actively involved in research across multiple fields. It has a reputation for producing graduates who are well-prepared for the demands of the global workforce.
Role in OneBAT:
UoK will play a pivotal role in the development of innovative assays to investigate the immune response of bats towards target viruses, including viruses that have not been isolated yet. This activity is crucial to decipher intra-bat viral dynamics and understanding host immune responses. Their contributions are vital in the collective effort to prevent zoonotic transmission of bat viruses to humans and animals.