In the global world we today live in, we realize that ensuring healthy fish, animals and humans in Norway is strongly dependent on international collaborations, and supporting neighbors close and far in reaching these same goals. Our global desire and need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and have better and more stable solutions to prevent and detect threats is a central priority for NVI’s international strategy.
In the pages linked bellow you will have a chance to be better acquainted with some of our work in research, diagnostics and development support in both land-based and aquatic ecosystems. With active partnerships in more than 75 countries, projects presented here focus mainly on activities outside Norway.
Fish Health Management Delivery in International Cooperation Projects
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute works in the field of aquatic animal health and welfare management, and engages in international collaboration to support t development of sustainable aquaculture to improve global production of aquatic animal products and food security. Science-based advisory, diagnostics services, epidemiology, risk assessment as well as biosecurity and contingency plans can be part of our support.
Currently, the Institute is working in the NORAD (The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) funded Fish for Development Programme with collaborating projects in different African countries and Colombia.
Ongoing aquatic health project with WorldFish in Africa
WorldFish and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute supports research, education and aquatic health management in Sub-Saharan Africa.
African aquaculture is growing rapidly and African countries are now realizing the importance of biosecurity governance and building better aquatic animal health research capacity and management to support sustainable development of aquaculture.
WorldFish and the Norwegian Veterinary Institute will utilize their expertise to support research and education in Sub-Saharan Africa in aquatic animal health management. Among the expected outcomes are: Improved research capacity on aquatic animal health management. Improved Institutional capacity and learners’ knowledge and practical skills on aquatic animal health to improve the aquaculture related education services and extension capacity
Target groups are fish farmers and hatchery operators, University students, Academic and research institutions, Extension services, national competent authority representatives, Donor agencies and project implementing agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa, Regional and international agencies involved in promoting aquatic animal health management, biosecurity governance and One Health.
Contribution to research and education in fish health south of the Sahara
The Veterinary Institute contributes as a partner in a project led by WorldFish that will strengthen research and education in fish health south of the Sahara. The project is part of Norad's Fish for Development program.
The WorldFish training center outside Cairo has previously supported the Egyptian authorities with research and development that has helped make the country a major fish farming nation today.
The Veterinary Institute will, among other things, contribute to supervising master's students, who will receive training in research in fish health. In the long run, this will make the aquaculture industry even more sustainable with better fish health and reduced spread of infectious diseases.
Students are recruited from universities in Ghana and Kenya, but the idea is that the knowledge and learning from this project will also be spread to other countries in the region.
Part of the training will take place at WorldFish's research facility outside Cairo in Egypt. Egypt is Africa's largest aquaculture producer and the lessons learned from Egypt can contribute to the sustainable development of the aquaculture industries in Ghana and Kenya as well.
The project runs from 2020-2023 and has a financial framework of NOK 27 million. The collaboration is coordinated through Kunnskapsbanken in Norad.
FAO
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute has since 2018, been actively involved in meetings for developing the Progressive Management Pathway for Aquaculture Biosecurity (PMP/AB) concept.
Special components of this work have included workshops for competent authorities on surveillance programs and data collation for the shrimp industry in Indonesia, member of secretariat and technical group for developing guidance document for the PMP/AB, and planning and implementing the virtual event FishVet dialogue: Exploring collaboration on managing health of aquatic organisms on June 7-9 2021.