International Strategy

The Institute is the national centre of technical and scientific excellence supporting the Ministry of Health and the Regions of Abruzzo and Molise in activities related to veterinary public health, food hygiene and safety, ensuring a balanced relationship between humans, animals and the environment—an approach aligned with the One Health model.

Since the early 1990s, the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise has pursued a policy of international engagement, complementing its national mandate with services and products aimed at countries in the Global South. Following its designation in 1991 by the Ministry of Health as the National Reference Centre for the study and diagnosis of exotic animal diseases (CESME), the Institute has focused its international activities in the Mediterranean basin and sub-Saharan Africa, establishing cooperation agreements to promote mutual technical and scientific development. Its long-term cooperation policy is founded on reciprocity and the active involvement of local personnel at all levels, recognising the value of endogenous and participatory development and highlighting the role local governments can play in shaping and implementing such processes.

Over time, the Institute’s international collaborations have expanded to include not only the study of infectious diseases, but also food hygiene, the detection of residues in food products, and support for diagnostic and epidemiological activities through the development of information systems, including those used for animal identification and registration.

In agreement with the Ministry of Health, the Institute recognises international cooperation as an essential tool for the prevention of animal diseases and the protection of public health—especially through the control of zoonoses and the transfer of services and expertise to improve safety in developing countries, which are often the source of the greatest risks.

The IZS fully supports the global sustainable development goals outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda, acknowledging poverty reduction and public health improvement as cross-cutting themes in its international activities. Given the increasing pressure that economically and institutionally fragile countries exert on more developed nations in the field of health protection, the Institute sees the establishment of inter-institutional partnerships as a key element of its operational strategy. It places particular importance on its relations with institutions in developing countries for the transfer of knowledge in veterinary science and food safety.

The Institute continues to play an increasingly strategic role in meeting the growing demand for veterinary public health expertise from developing countries, while also embracing the opportunities offered by international scientific collaboration.