FRIEDRICH LOEFFLER INSTITUT - BUNDESFORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUER TIERGESUNDHEIT

Their core work

The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) is Germany's federal research institute for animal health, located on the island of Riems near Greifswald. It conducts research on infectious animal diseases — particularly zoonotic and emerging viruses — using high-containment BSL3 laboratories. FLI specializes in disease surveillance, vaccine development, and veterinary diagnostics for livestock and wildlife, serving as a national reference laboratory and key advisor to German and European animal health policy. Its work directly supports food safety, biosecurity, and pandemic preparedness across Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2017), FLI focused on foundational infrastructure and broad virus research — building European virus archives (EVAg), establishing high-containment lab networks (VetBioNet), and contributing to disease platforms like COMPARE. From 2018 onward, the focus shifted toward applied biosecurity, One Health integration, and sector-specific disease threats such as African swine fever (DEFEND), antimicrobial resistance (HealthyLivestock), and data-driven disease observatories (VEO). This evolution reflects a move from infrastructure-building to operational disease preparedness and cross-disciplinary surveillance.

FLI is moving toward integrated disease surveillance combining genomics, environmental data, and citizen science — making them an increasingly valuable partner for pandemic preparedness and food chain security projects.

How they like to work

FLI operates almost exclusively as a specialist partner (15 of 16 projects), contributing deep virology and animal health expertise to large consortia rather than leading them. Their one coordination role — DELTA-FLU, their largest grant at EUR 1.4M — demonstrates they can lead when the topic aligns precisely with their core competency in avian influenza. With 263 unique partners across 51 countries, they are a highly networked hub with broad reach, making them easy to integrate into new consortia.

FLI has collaborated with 263 distinct partners across 51 countries, giving them one of the broadest networks in European veterinary research. Their partnerships span well beyond the EU into global animal health networks, consistent with their role in projects like EVA-GLOBAL and VEO.

What sets them apart

FLI is one of very few European institutions combining a federal mandate for animal health with BSL3 high-containment laboratories and direct policy advisory functions. Unlike university groups that focus on basic research, FLI bridges the gap between laboratory science, field surveillance, and regulatory decision-making. For consortium builders, FLI brings not just scientific expertise but also institutional credibility with national and EU authorities — a critical asset for projects requiring regulatory engagement or reference laboratory validation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DELTA-FLU
  FLI's only coordinated project and largest grant (EUR 1.4M) — a flagship study on avian influenza dynamics across poultry, pigs, and wild birds using next-generation sequencing and animal tracking.
• One Health EJP
  FLI's second-largest funding (EUR 1.18M) in a major European Joint Programme connecting foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging threats under a unified One Health framework.
• VEO
  Their most recent and forward-looking project, building a disease observatory using data mining, citizen science, and monitoring of zoonotic wildlife-borne diseases — signaling FLI's digital transformation in surveillance.