THE PIRBRIGHT INSTITUTE LBG

Their core work

The Pirbright Institute is a UK-based research centre specializing in infectious diseases of farm animals and viruses that spread from animals to humans. They maintain high-containment (BSL3) laboratory infrastructure for studying dangerous pathogens like African swine fever and bluetongue virus, develop vaccines against emerging livestock diseases, and operate as part of the European Virus Archive — supplying reference virus collections and diagnostic products to researchers worldwide. Their work directly supports disease preparedness and outbreak response across Europe and beyond.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2017), Pirbright focused on broad vector biology — mosquitoes, sandflies, tsetse flies, arboviruses including Zika and malaria — alongside building global virus archives. From 2017 onward, their focus sharpened toward European livestock-specific threats: African swine fever, lumpy skin disease, bluetongue, and high-containment infrastructure for farm animal infectiology. This shift reflects a move from global tropical disease vectors toward targeted European animal health preparedness and biosecurity.

Pirbright is increasingly positioning itself as Europe's go-to centre for emerging livestock disease response, with growing emphasis on high-containment infrastructure and vaccine development for threats like African swine fever.

How they like to work

Pirbright operates predominantly as a specialist partner (8 of 9 projects), contributing deep virology and animal health expertise to large consortia. They coordinated one major project (DEFEND, their largest at EUR 2.25M), demonstrating leadership capacity when the topic aligns with their core mission. With 152 unique partners across 41 countries, they function as a well-connected node in the European animal health research network — open to diverse partnerships rather than locked into a small circle.

Pirbright has collaborated with 152 unique partners across 41 countries, making them one of the more internationally connected veterinary research institutes in H2020. Their reach extends well beyond Europe through global virus archive and vector-borne disease projects.

What sets them apart

Pirbright combines high-containment BSL3 laboratory capacity with deep expertise in the most economically damaging livestock diseases threatening Europe — a combination few institutes can match. They bridge the gap between fundamental virology research and practical outbreak preparedness, offering both infrastructure access and scientific know-how. For consortium builders, they bring credibility in animal health that strengthens any proposal targeting food security, zoonotic risk, or veterinary innovation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DEFEND
  Their only coordinated project and largest grant (EUR 2.25M), tackling the dual threat of African swine fever and lumpy skin disease — two of Europe's most urgent livestock disease concerns.
• EVAg / EVA-GLOBAL
  Sustained participation across two funding cycles in the European Virus Archive, reflecting Pirbright's recognized role as a trusted custodian of virus collections and reference materials.
• INFRAVEC2
  Positions Pirbright within a pan-European research infrastructure for vector-borne disease control, connecting veterinary and human health research communities.