DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET

DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET (DTU), TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DENMARK, NATIONAL VETERINARY INSTITUTE (DTU VET) - Copenhagen, Denmark

The National Veterinary Institute DTU conducts research in infectious diseases in livestock and diagnoses diseased animals. We give advice to public authorities and cooperate with them on the Danish veterinary contingency plan. We are reference laboratory in a number of areas.

We also encompass all infectious animal diseases in farm livestock and companion animals.

Our main focus is on notifiable diseases, as well as other serious infectious diseases that affect farm livestock. The Institute does research in methods to detect, control, and prevent infectious animal diseases. Our research activities cover a wide field, i.e. developmental and application-oriented projects as well as basic research. All our diagnostic services are based on accredited or quality assured analysis methods. For some animal diseases commercial vaccines and sera are not available. For the treatment of these diseases the National Veterinary Institute DTU manufactures vaccines and sera, if the disease is significant.

The National Veterinary Institute DTU provides advisory services and risk assessment to public authorities, the industry and interest groups. Advisory services and risk assessment are both based on robust and sensitive research methods. In addition, we supply data for disease monitoring in Denmark. The National Veterinary Institute DTU is responsible for the laboratory component of the Danish veterinary contingency plan, which puts emergency procedures into action in the event of suspected or actual outbreaks of serious infectious animal diseases. In these cases our laboratories analyse samples from the animals. The contingency plan is supported by our activities in conjunction with a range of national monitoring programmes on animal diseases and zoonoses. Our research and diagnostics expertise is crucial for maintaining the high quality of the Danish veterinary contingency plan. The National Veterinary Institute provides consultancy about animal diseases to public sectors, industry and interest organisations nationally and internationally. We provide consultancy about infectious diseases in livestock. The institute conducts research to achieve knowledge about the nature of diseases, to be able to give research-based advice and to be at the forefront of updated and effective analysis methods. The institute is the Danish national reference laboratory for a long list of infectious animal diseases, and the EU and OIE reference laboratory for selected fish diseases. DTU is also an international reference laboratory in the following areas:

- European Community Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases
- OIE reference laboratory for VHS
- OIE Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Population Animal Health Diagnosis and Surveillance Systems.

The institute participates in expert groups. Besides the permanent groups set up in the international organisations, the employees of the institute currently participate in working and expert groups for livestock diseases, animal health and animal welfare.


This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 692131.