UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB-FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Their core work

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zagreb is a veterinary research and teaching institution with applied expertise in bone and cartilage regeneration, spinal disease therapies, and molecular animal nutrition. Their H2020 work spans clinical-stage drug development for spinal disorders (using recombinant bone morphogenetic proteins) and livestock health research through omics-based biomarker discovery. They bridge veterinary science with translational human medicine, contributing preclinical and clinical trial capabilities in musculoskeletal regeneration.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earliest H2020 involvement (BIO-CHIP, 2015) was as a third party in cartilage tissue engineering, suggesting a supporting role in regenerative medicine. By 2018, they stepped up as a full participant in two distinct directions: clinical-stage spinal drug development (OSTEOproSPINE) and molecular animal nutrition research (MANNA). This shift from a peripheral contributor to an active partner in both human and animal health research suggests growing institutional confidence and expanding research capacity.

Moving from supporting roles in tissue engineering toward leading participation in translational medicine and omics-driven animal health — expect continued growth in musculoskeletal drug development and precision livestock science.

How they like to work

They have never coordinated an H2020 project, operating exclusively as a participant or third party. With 29 unique partners across 11 countries from just 3 projects, they join large international consortia rather than leading small teams. This profile suggests a reliable specialist contributor that brings specific veterinary or preclinical expertise to broader biomedical and agricultural research networks.

Despite only 3 projects, they have built connections with 29 partners across 11 countries, indicating involvement in large, well-funded consortia. Their network spans across Europe without a strong geographic concentration beyond Croatia.

What sets them apart

Their veterinary medicine foundation gives them a dual advantage: they can contribute preclinical animal models for human therapies (as in BIO-CHIP and OSTEOproSPINE) while also conducting dedicated veterinary and livestock research (MANNA). This crossover between human and animal health — sometimes called One Health — makes them a distinctive partner for projects needing both translational animal studies and veterinary domain knowledge. Few veterinary faculties in Southeast Europe have this combination of clinical trial involvement and omics capability.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OSTEOproSPINE
  A Phase II clinical trial for a bone regeneration drug targeting lumbar back pain — unusually advanced (clinical-stage) work for a veterinary faculty, indicating strong translational medicine capability.
• MANNA
  A Marie Curie joint doctorate programme combining omics, bioinformatics, and nutritional science for livestock — their largest funded project (EUR 247,761) and a talent pipeline for molecular animal nutrition.