International projects

Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action ZODIAC (IAEA, 2021)

The Zoonotic Diseases Integrated Action (ZODIAC) project, an initiative of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is designed to establish a comprehensive, multisectoral and multidisciplinary approach to the early detection of zoonotic diseases and to more effectively prevent their spread. This initiative involves strengthening regional and national resources of Member States. Improving surveillance capacities and timely response to zoonotic disease outbreaks is the basic framework for this project. The ZODIAC project includes five integrated activities, which focus on research, development and innovation. These activities require close coordination with various stakeholders, including competent authorities in Member States, international organizations, scientific societies, health and veterinary scientific communities, research institutions, the private sector and potential financial partners. The partnerships will be aligned with the IAEA policy on resource mobilization and collaboration with partners. The success of the ZODIAC project depends on the capacity and responsiveness of laboratories in Member States to detect zoonotic disease agents in a timely manner. The project budget for the five-year period is EUR 147.88 million. The aim is to strengthen regional and national coordination and capacity for pathogen detection and management through partnerships with WHO, FAO and OIE. VIRSVB is nominated in the project as one of two laboratories in the field of veterinary medicine in BiH.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem that threatens the treatment of bacterial infections and thus affects the outcomes of human and animal treatment. Clinical microbiology laboratories play a key role in providing guidance for antimicrobial treatment and preventing the spread of AMR. From a One Health perspective, there are increasing indications that AMR has characteristics of zoonotic potential, which, to date, gives a completely new and much broader context to the understanding of the AMR problem. The World Health Organization warns that by 2050, if the necessary preventive steps are not taken, there will be 10 million human deaths due to bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The lack of effective drugs and insufficiently developed diagnostic tools negatively affect the treatment and survival of critically ill patients. The spread of these bacteria outside hospitals poses a risk to the global population.
The EUTESTOP action brings together scientists from different fields to work together on understanding the genetic and molecular basis of bacterial resistance, developing innovative diagnostic tools, and finding new therapeutic solutions. The goal is to improve networking among European scientists and increase research competitiveness. The action will train a new generation of young scientists and researchers, focusing on their career development and
innovative approaches. Working groups will address genomics, proteomics, glycomics, microbiology and drug design, which represents a significant step in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria and improving healthcare. VIRSVB will focus its work on evidence of resistance of some gram-positive bacteria, which are associated with infectious or contaminant presence within matrices originating from bee colonies.

MARGISTAR is a forum for synthesis, exchange and creation of knowledge, which brings together scientists, stakeholders and decision-makers to jointly consider sustainability challenges in mountain regions and gradually move towards real solutions. 
Mountain areas are characterized by inequalities, weak territorial cohesion, unbalanced use and conservation of ecosystem services, rich and exploited natural resources and marginalization. The key challenge for MARGISTAR is to foster transformational strategies and innovation processes for the revitalization of these areas and, specifically, the synthesis and creation of alternative and effective pathways towards sustainability.

The Forum jointly examines the natural, ecological, social and economic interrelationships and interactions in mountain areas and identifies a series of ecological, social, economic and political challenges. It enables innovation through a series of physical and virtual meetings to co-design pathways for the transformation of marginalized mountain areas towards their green, digital and healthy future. An online platform on the theme of “society-science-policy” has been created, within the framework of FAIRWAY in Europe, to stimulate dialogue between scientists, decision-makers, mountain stakeholders, NGOs, SMEs, public bodies and private organizations, and to establish local knowledge and information accessibility systems. VIRSVB participated in the development of part of the "profile" of the participating country of BiH, the development of a blog to cover a selected micro-location from the area of ​​Republika Srpska, and the development of a review paper on the topic "Review of the impact of renewable energy and mining on wildlife and pollinators". The action was excellently coordinated, and to achieve the communication process and possible results, it was funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Republika Srpska in 2023.

 Honey is a popular functional food due to its properties based on its composition of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties. In addition, the European honey bee Apis Mellifera is the most important pollinator crucial for food production. In the world, as well as in Europe, due to anthropogenic activities, including agricultural intensification and the use of pesticides, there are significant losses of bee colonies. This has led to a decrease in honey production, with 40% of consumption in the EU being imported. These, in short, were the reasons for launching another COST EU action with the honey bee as the subject of interest. 
In an effort to help and improve the sustainability of the bee community, this innovative network project will establish cooperation between international beekeeping stakeholders, and the results will relate to the following topics:
– nutritional and medicinal properties of honey and by-products,
– abiotic stressors and anthropogenic contaminants in the environment, using bee products as indicators, 
– prevalent diseases and biotic stressors that threaten bee communities,
– honey bees as pollinators in agriculture and the consequences of community loss in agricultural ecosystems,
– research of policies and analysis of the market related to beekeeping activities.

The project will use a multi-sectoral approach to bring together different knowledge: chemistry, biology, ecology, veterinary science, beekeeping, agricultural engineering, nutrition, economics and policy, in order to achieve the development and conservation of production. The importance of beekeeping is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (2, 12 and 15), with the aim of promoting sustainable agriculture, quality production and sustainable use of ecosystems. VIRSVB is included in the work of Working Group 5, which has thematic areas of EU legislation, safety and marketing analysis of the honey value chain.


The project aims to control and mitigate emerging biological risks in the Mediterranean, Balkan, Black Sea, Maghreb and Sahel regions. More precisely, the project focuses on risks associated with vector-borne diseases, which are likely to increase in frequency due to changing environmental and climatic factors. The main lines of action include strengthening the institutional capacities of reference laboratories and public health institutions, as well as promoting added value for the implementation of the “One Health” response.

VIRSVB actively participates in the given framework of project obligations and activities, especially in those related to medical entomology. By participating in three phases of the project, with a duration of ten years, VIRSVB has acquired knowledge in areas such as medical entomology, geographic information systems (GIS), control of the effectiveness of applied insecticides for mosquitoes, modeling, field surveys of vectors and taxonomic evidence. As a result of active participation, papers dealing with these topics have been published.

ВИРСВБ прати и развија своје међународне научне и стручне активности кроз укључивање у европске истраживачке мреже и иницијативе. Једна од нових међународних иницијатива релевантних за савремену медицину и концепт Једно здравље јесте COST акција CA25122 – SystOHm (Systems Thinking for One Health Implementation). Акција је усмјерена на унапређење практичне примјене концепта Једно здравље кроз развој и примјену системског размишљања. Полази се од чињенице да су здравље људи, животиња и екосистема међусобно повезани и да сложени изазови, као што су заразне болести, антимикробна резистенција, деградација животне средине, безбједност хране и климатске промјене, захтијевају интердисциплинаран и међусекторски приступ.

Основни циљ SystOHm акције јесте повезивање научних сазнања са њиховом практичном примјеном. То подразумијева препознавање потреба различитих сектора, критички преглед постојећих метода системског размишљања, развој методолошких смјерница и тестирање нових приступа који могу допринијети ефикаснијем заједничком дјеловању истраживача, стручњака и других заинтересованих актера.

Рад у оквиру акције организован је кроз пет радних група (Working Groups – WG), које обухватају развој и тестирање методолошких приступа, повезивање различитих дисциплина и сектора, комуникацију и укључивање заједнице, развој сарадничких структура и интеграцију резултата. Очекивани резултати укључују стручне и научне публикације, практичне алате и смјернице, студије случаја, препоруке и развој одрживе међународне мреже сарадње. Ово учешће представља могућност да се искуства и стручна перспектива ветеринарске медицине, посебно у области здравља животиња, надзора над болестима и међусобне повезаности здравља животиња, људи и животне средине, укључе у ширу европску интердисциплинарну сарадњу. Учешће у COST акцијама омогућава повезивање са међународном научном и стручном заједницом, размјену знања и искустава, развој нових сарадњи и активније укључивање у европске истраживачке и стручне иницијативе. За ВИРСВБ SystOHm представља прилику за допринос развоју и практичној примјени концепта Једно здравље.