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Outreach

Moredun is committed to sharing knowledge and working with others to maximise the benefits and impact of our scientific research.

Knowledge exchange and outreach intiatives are vital to our work.  Activities in this area bring together our scientists with the end users of research, wider groups and communities to exchange ideas and expertise.  By discussing our work with a variety of audiences we can ensure that our research remains relevant and useful to society as a whole. 

Industry (farming and veterinary), the wider scientific community, policymakers and the general public are the main targets for our outreach activities.  Our staff members regularly participate in talks, workshops, committees and public engagement projects to increase the impact of our research. 

Examples of some of our work in this area can be found below.

Farmers, vets, SQPs and students

Originally formed by farmers for farmers, Moredun has always maintained a close working relationship with the farming community.  We continue to be very active in this area of knowledge exchange to ensure that our research remains rooted in the practical needs of livestock farming today.

Our strong links with those actively involved in livestock health are enhanced by a variety of initiatives:

  • The Moredun Foundation has a membership programme which enables those working directly with livestock to receive the latest information about our research.
  • Moredun has an active group of over 40 volunteer regional advisors throughout the UK who serve as a direct link between Moredun and livestock farmers.
  • Many farmers have been active in helping our scientists with surveys and providing valuable samples for study.  This service has proven to be a valuable aid for our research.
  • Moredun has organised a livestock health roadshow each year for over ten years.  The event, which travels throughout England, Scotland and Wales, enjoys phenomenal success with extremely high attendance figures.
  • Our livestock health specialists regularly attend and present talks at agricultural shows, specialist events, meetings and CPD events for large animal vets. Please see our events page for information on any forthcoming events.
  • In our commitment to support the next generation of farmers and vets our scientists deliver lectures at vet schools and agricultural colleges, host student visits and support dissertation projects.
  • The Moredun Foundation Award Scheme provides an opportunity for our members to carry out a project to enhance they personal and professional development whilst bring benefit and insight to a livestock health issue.

Policy makers

Moredun believes that the communication of research outputs to those developing and implementing policy is of crucial importance to help ensure that these policies are evidence based.  The large majority of government-funded scientific research conducted at Moredun is policy relevant and it is important that the outputs from this research are communicated to the relevant audiences in a timely and effective manner.

To fulfil this commitment, staff from Moredun sit on or advise influential consultative committees, met regularly with senior members of the Scottish Government and DEFRA and maintain a close working relationship with industry bodies such as QMS, AHDB, HCC and NFU/NFUS.

For more information about our government-funded scientific research please visit our Scottish Government Research Programme page.

The scientific community

Moredun is international renowned as a world class research establishment. Highly regarded and actively involved within the scientific community, our scientists:

  • regularly present data at major international conferences
  • actively participate in the management of learned societies
  • are members of scientific journals editorial boards
  • host and organise workshops and conferences
  • sit on review panels of grant awarding bodies
  • participate in reviewing papers
  • host visiting workers and PhD students

Effective disease control is a global issue. It is essential that we maintain these meaningful interactions between our staff and scientific communities in both the UK and overseas. 

We are extremely proud of the number of innovative collaborations already established here at Moredun. The opportunity to collaborate internationally provides a means of access to new information and perspectives, innovative concepts and methods, emerging research technologies, and unique populations and environments important for addressing global animal health problems.

Sharing of knowledge is vital and we continue to seek new partnerships to help drive livestock health research forward.

For information regarding our Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with other research instituties and universities please visit our Collaboration page.

School children and members of the general public

Moredun is committed to promoting public understanding and appreciation of science. 

Whether this is explaining the benefits of our research to society or promoting the importance of science in general, public engagement forms an important part of our knowledge exchange agenda.

Our outreach programme in this area continues to grow with new intiatives involving broadcast media, public debates and educational projects working together with teachers and both secondary and primary school pupils.

The following projects provide an example of our work in this area:

Commercial partnerships

Moredun has always been successful in developing and exploiting strategic research outputs in the commercial sector through strong management of Intellectual Property (IP). 

Working in partnership with commercial companies has resulted in the development of new and improved diagnostic tests, vaccines, scientific services and management techniques.

For more information please visit our Commercialisation page.