VETERINAERMEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN

Their core work

VetMedUni Vienna is Austria's only university of veterinary medicine, with deep research strengths in hematology, leukemia biology, and animal science. Their H2020 work spans two distinct tracks: molecular oncology (understanding leukemia drivers like CDK6 and developing targeted therapies) and animal production science (livestock feed innovation, welfare, and multi-omics approaches to host-microbiome interactions). They train early-stage researchers through multiple Marie Skłodowska-Curie networks and bring strong capabilities in genomics, bioinformatics, and phenotyping to international consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2018, VetMedUni Vienna focused on fundamental biology — evolutionary genetics (ReversePlasticity), biocontrol genomics (BINGO), leukemia molecular mechanisms (ONCOMECHAML, CDK6-DrugOpp), and avian migration physiology (MIGRADAPT). From 2019 onward, their work shifted toward applied animal and food science — nanostructured feed carriers (NanoFEED), host-microbiome interactions in livestock (3D-omics), and animal welfare (CHICKENSTRESS) — while maintaining their hematology thread through ARCH and INTERCEPT-MDS with a growing emphasis on translational epigenetics and single-cell technologies.

VetMedUni Vienna is pivoting toward applied livestock science (feed technology, microbiome, welfare) while keeping its leukemia research active — making them increasingly relevant for agri-food consortia that need veterinary and molecular biology expertise.

How they like to work

VetMedUni Vienna balances leadership and partnership roles effectively — they coordinated 5 of 14 projects, including their largest grant (CDK6-DrugOpp, ERC Advanced Grant). Their 130 unique consortium partners across 24 countries indicate a broad, well-connected network rather than a tight cluster of repeat collaborators. They are comfortable both leading focused research (ERC, MSCA fellowships) and contributing specialized veterinary or molecular biology expertise to larger consortia.

With 130 unique consortium partners spanning 24 countries, VetMedUni Vienna has a well-developed European network. Their collaborations reach broadly across EU member states without strong geographic concentration, reflecting their participation in pan-European training networks (MSCA-ITN) and research infrastructures.

What sets them apart

VetMedUni Vienna sits at a rare intersection of veterinary medicine, molecular oncology, and animal production science — few European institutions combine deep leukemia research with livestock feed innovation under one roof. Their ERC Advanced Grant in CDK6 biology signals world-class capability in hematological oncology, while their growing portfolio in nanostructured animal feed and multi-omics positions them as a bridge between fundamental biology and agricultural application. For consortium builders, they offer the credibility of a specialized university with the flexibility to contribute across health and food sectors.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CDK6-DrugOpp
  Their flagship project — an ERC Advanced Grant worth EUR 2.5M investigating CDK6 as a drug target in leukemia, representing nearly half of all their H2020 funding.
• 3D-omics
  Their largest consortium participation (EUR 675K), applying multi-omics and hologenomics to understand host-microbiota interactions in livestock — a strong signal of their shift toward applied food science.
• INTERCEPT-MDS
  Combines single-cell sequencing with epigenetic analysis to intercept myelodysplastic syndrome progression, showing their hematology work moving toward precision medicine approaches.