NOVABOVA Conference Building up International Study and Research Networks between the NOVA and BOVA

1
NOVA-BOVA Conference Building up International
Study and Research Networks between the NOVA and
BOVA Universities

• Background of the development of
• Food Hygiene and Safety Education Network for
  Reliable Food Control in the Nordic and Baltic
  countries
• and the future initiatives
• Aivars Berzin
• Institute of Food and Environmental Hygiene
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LUA Latvia

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• Origin of the project (network) was bilateral
  Norwegian- Latvian program Food Production,
  Agriculture and Society (part at the Faculty of
  Veterinary Medicine, LUA) (1999- 2003)
• Partners Agricultural University of Norway,
  Noragric
• The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science
• The main idea was to use already existing
  Nordic competence and cooperation to support
  Baltic institutions and professionals in the area
  of food hygiene education/ research (not only at
  Universities, but also involving state
  laboratories, and some of governmental
  institutions involved in food control)

3

• Application to Nordic Grant Scheme for Networking
  Co-operation with Baltic countries and Northwest
  Russia (February, 2001)
• Application draft written January, 2001
  (Helsinki, Finland)- Prof. Lars Sjøflot, Prof.
  Magne Yndestad
• Statement letters (!) as annexes to the
  application performed by each participant country

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• Competence building in the issues of Food
  Hygiene/ Food Safety (incl. food control) in the
  Baltic countries
• Form a basic network between the governments,
  institutions and key-persons responsible for the
  education/ research, regulation and food control
  in the Baltic countries with direct network links
  to professional expertise in the Nordic countries

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Institutions and responsible persons and the
Work Group in the Network

• Norwegian School of Veterinary Sciences (NVH)
• Prof. Magne Yndestad Prof. Yngvild Wasteson (?)
• Agricultural University of Norway, Noragric
• Prof. Lars Sjøflot (?) ..
• The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University,
  KVL
• Prof. John Elmerdahl Olsen ..
• University of Helsinki (HU)
• Prof. Hannu Korkeala Riikka Laukkanen
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
• Prof. Marie Louise Danielsson-Tham (?)
• Estonian Agricultural University (EAU)
• Mati Roasto Katrin Laikoja (?)
• Lithuanian Veterinary Academy (LVA)
• Prof. Grazina Januskeviciene Mindaugas
  Malakauskas, Loreta Serniene
• Latvia University of Agriculture (LUA)
• Prof. Edgars Liepin Aivars Berzin
• Other institutions in the future???

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Main activities

• Meeting in Helsinki in January, 2001
  (application)
• Establishing of the network contacts (since
  January, 2001)
• First Network Workshop in Jurmala, Latvia,
  (November, 2001)
• 35 participants from Norway, Finland, Denmark,
  Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia
• Meeting and establishing contacts
• Training course Food microbiology and principles
  of PCR diagnostics Helsinki, Finland
• 12 participants (4 from each Baltic country and
  teachers from Nordic)
• Instructors from University of Helsinki

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Main activities

• Food Safety Network Meeting Tartu, Estonia
  March, 2003- as first NOVA and BOVA activity in
  the Network
• Participants from Estonia, Lithuania and Finland
• NOVA and BOVA Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania
  October, 2003
• Coming activities
• Training (research) course Molecular typing
  methods in food microbiology and evaluation of
  the microbiological quality of water Helsinki,
  Finland (19- 23.01.04)
• 12 ordinary participants
• Instructors from Norway and Finland
• Regional courses in the Baltic countries (under
  planning)
• Instructors from Baltic and Nordic countries
• Network meetings (1 x a year)

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Finances of the Network

• Mostly financial resources used in the Network
  coming from Nordic Grant Scheme for Network
  cooperation with Baltic Countries and Northwest
  Russia
• In the future
• Nordplus Neighbour (NCM)
• The Norwegian billions
• Poland 927 mill NOK
• Lithuania 112
• Latvia 89
• Estonia 54