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https://aphascience.blog.gov.uk/2021/05/05/science-strategy/

APHA launches its refreshed five-year science strategy

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Image showing: a female scientist looking into a microscope, the front of the APHA Weybridge headquarters, a bee on a purple flower, a brown chicken in a field and a group photo of two male and four female scientists looking at the camera in a laboratory setting. The words 'Science Strategy 2021-26 Expertise with Impact' is written below with the APHA logo in the bottom right-hand corner.
The refreshed APHA science strategy has now been published

Over the past year colleagues across the APHA have been working on refreshing our Science Strategy which will be delivered over the next five years.

The 'APHA Science Strategy 2021-2026 - Expertise with Impact' underpins APHA's fundamental purpose to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of the people, the environment and the economy. It builds on the previous Science Strategy 2015 - 2020.

The strategy's annex provides a top level overview of each of the scientific portfolio or discipline strategies.

The strategy takes into account recent significant changes, such as leaving the European Union, the confirmed funding for the redevelopment of our scientific headquarters at Weybridge and the global pandemic of COVID-19. It outlines our ambitions for global scientific influence with world class facilities to support and retain our internationally recognised expertise.

Science continues to be fundamental to everything APHA does and we are committed to high quality science-based evidence for decision making and policy development.

“I am very pleased to share the updated APHA Science Strategy which sets the direction for our Science over the coming years. I would like to thank all colleagues who have contributed to its development. We continue to work on topics of national and international significance and play a key role in improving animal and plant health.”

Dr Kath Webster, APHA Science Director

The strategy provides a high level view as to how the science teams across APHA will continue to respond to biosecurity threats to the UK from endemic or exotic animal diseases (including zoonotic diseases), pests and diseases of plants and bees, and invasive non-native species.

This includes continuing to provide high containment laboratory and animal facilities, scientific expertise in a range of microbiological and analytical disciplines, research and test development functions to diagnose known diseases and develop tests and reagents to detect new diseases and support outbreak control measures.

The science teams will continue to lead the way as one of the world’s leading research centres in the field of animal and veterinary public health and undertake surveillance for new, re-emerging, endemic, exotic animal and plant diseases and pests.

The refreshed strategy is available to view on our APHA GOV.UK pages. We hope the document gives you an understanding of the important strategic priorities the Agency is delivering in collaboration with our many stakeholders.

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