University of Stirling in the UK Receives £2.4 Million Funding for Aquaculture Research in Vietnam

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 7, the University of Stirling in the UK received £2.4 million in research funding to lead an international collaborative study addressing antimicrobial resistance in Vietnam's pangasius farming industry. The project will run for 48 months and be carried out by the university's Institute of Aquaculture, focusing on the mechanisms of resistance development in freshwater aquaculture systems, antibiotic alternative technologies, and on-farm disease management measures.

The research team is led by Professor Margaret Crumlish of the University of Stirling, with participating institutions including the University of Glasgow in the UK, the University of Sydney in Australia, Can Tho University in Vietnam, and Vietnam National University. The project will bring together researchers from the fields of aquaculture, microbiology, veterinary medicine, environmental science, computational science, and social sciences to conduct interdisciplinary research.

The research covers the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in freshwater environments, the impact of resistance on fish farming production, and the barriers faced by aquaculture enterprises in adopting antibiotic alternative technologies. The team will also work with local farmers, industry bodies, and policy-making departments to study disease prevention and control measures suitable for real-world production environments and to establish a framework for follow-up technical research and application.

This research will utilize data from the University of Stirling's previous fish vaccine studies, as well as relevant trial results from the university's National Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Hub. The University of Stirling has previously collaborated with Vietnamese research institutions to develop fish vaccines against Edwardsiella and Aeromonas hydrophila infections and to study the conditions for applying vaccines in aquaculture production. The new project will continue to build on relevant research outcomes to advance research on antibiotic use management and alternative measures.

This project is part of the biosecurity research program jointly promoted by the UK government and UK Research and Innovation. Relevant departments will invest more than £54 million through 18 research and innovation projects to support antimicrobial resistance prevention and control, infectious disease prevention, and the development of next-generation animal vaccines. Participating funders include the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Department of Health and Social Care.