Empowering universities’ Learning and rEsearch caPacities in the one Health Approach for the maNagement of animals at the wildlife, livestock and human interface in souTh Africa” (ELEPHANT)

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Unibo structure involved: Department of  Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine - DIMES
Scientific manager: Alessandra Scagliarini
Unibo Team: Maurizio Aragrande, Alessandra Bonoli, Massimo Canali, Laura Gallina, Angelo Peli, Silvia Piva, Mariana Roccaro, Vittorio Sambri, Federica Savini
Erasmus+ Action type: Capacity Building in higher education
Project reference: 610453-EPP-1-2019-1-NL-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP (2019-1979)
Start Date: 15 January 2020
End Date: 14 January 2023
Budget: Total: € 999,628.20         UNIBO: € 134,412.40 

Coordinator: UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT (NL)
Partners:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – UNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA (IT)
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA (ZA)
SOUTHERN AFRICAN WILDLIFE COLLEGE (ZA)
UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE (ZA)
UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO (ZA)
UNIVERSITY OF MPUMALANGA (ZA)
UNIVERSITY OF VENDA (ZA)

Summary:
The ELEPHANT consortium consists of 6 SA and 2 EU HEIs that shar expertise and apply a transversal multidisciplinary holistic approach to empower research capacity in a One Health (OH) approach. Being reference for specific activities, participant’s leadership and responsibility for design and implementation of OH teaching will be enhanced. Creation of a virtual research platform aims at sustaining project information, OH educational and research results and practices and communication also beyond the project period and allows other SA or SADC Universities to share knowledge and expertise and values such as: Legal compliance, ethics, research integrity, inclusiveness. The involvement of associate partners shows connection with, and impact on society, through demand driven research and knowledge transfer, to communities, industry and policy makers.SA participants will improve their quality in teaching and research (training) by enforcing capacities in terms of better equipped laboratories, standardized methodologies and continuous interactions, within and beyond the project period, with all staff of other partners and graduate students. This will positively impact evidence based One Health interventions to improve health and welfare of animals and humans Ultimately, the SA HE institutions will improve their reputation in research by increasing publication numbers in high ranked scientific journals. Their impact on society will be focused especially towards policy makers by sharing data and strategies to put in place science based, and One Health focused, hazards (disease and pollutant) surveys, prevention and intervention/control and a reduction in the wildlife-livestock conflicts. The project will largely involve communities that will be engaged in participatory OH activities, and will benefit from increased hazard awareness and control. The latter to be facilitated in collaboration with industry.