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.
Quality of teaching and research (training) is improved by realizing well-equipped laboratories, standardized methods, and continuous partner interactions, within and beyond the project period. This will positively impact evidence based OH interventions to improve health and welfare of animals and humans and their environment. The SA-HEI institutions will improve their reputation in research through increasing staff post graduate student skills and publication in high ranked scientific journals.
Interactions between people, animals and environment pose threats to their mutual health and welfare, environmental health and consequently to food security and safety, and local, regional, and national economic development. Infectious diseases including zoonoses, environmental pollutants and antimicrobial resistance cause losses, hence poverty. Inter- and transdisciplinary One Health (OH) approaches in research and teaching are instrumental to innovative solutions for sustainable livelihoods.
<< Background >> Interactions between people, animals and environment pose threats to their mutual health and welfare, environmental health and consequently to food security and safety, and local, regional, and national economic development. Infectious diseases including zoonoses, environmental pollutants and antimicrobial resistance cause losses, hence poverty. Inter- and transdisciplinary One Health (OH) approaches in research and teaching are instrumental to innovative solutions for sustainable livelihoods. << Objectives >> Quality of teaching and research (training) is improved by realizing well-equipped laboratories, standardized methods, and continuous partner interactions, within and beyond the project period. This will positively impact evidence based OH interventions to improve health and welfare of animals and humans and their environment. The SA-HEI institutions will improve their reputation in research through increasing staff post graduate student skills and publication in high ranked scientific journals. << Implementation >> Implementation, impacting society, involved sharing expertise, data, and strategies to develop science based, and OH focused, hazard (disease and pollutant) surveys, prevention, and intervention measures to reduce human-wildlife-livestock-environment conflicts. The project aimed at involving policy makers and rural communities in participatory activities benefiting from increased hazard awareness and control. To be facilitated in collaboration with non-academic stakeholders after the project. << Results >> ELEPHANT’s aim to empower HEIs teaching and research capacity in the OH approach, resulted in approx. 100 staff (young+senior) better equipped for its use, enabling innovative OH-based initiatives. A virtual research platform created, served communication amongst the partners and repository of knowledge exchanged. The network evolved from individual participants and institutions to include external experts, associate partners and local communities (N>200) to produce beneficial impact on society.