Project Title: Anthrax Environmental Decontamination Network, FP7 -PEOPLE-2013-IRSES, Project  Number: 612309, Duration of the project: 48 months (01.01.2014 – 31.12.2017).

Project Annotation

a).Goal: The development  and characterization  of environmentally friendly anthrax spore  bacteriophage based decontamination agents; The development of  spore germination formulations  which enhance the activity and stability of B.anthracis specific decontamination agents; The characterization  of anthrax spore  decontamination  test sites in Ukraine and Turkey and  a determination of the genetic diversity of B.anthracis isolates  from these sites; The performance of  field trials and assess  the sporicidal activity  and environmental impact  of   the bacteriophage decontamination  formulation developed during this study; The harmonization   and standardization of  methods  across the network to enable the results obtained from different laboratories to be comparable.

List of participants (beneficiaries and partner organizations) : Cardiff University- UK, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Puglia and Basilicata- ITALY, Kafkas University – Turkey, University of Hohenheim – Germany, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology – POLAND, National Center for Disease Control and public Health – country of Georgia, Ilia State University– country of Georgia, G. Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage Microbiology and Virology  – country of Georgia, National Scientific Center Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine - UKRAINE

b).Activities: Development  and characterisation of  phage based decontamination agents; Develop of  methods  to enhance the activity and stability of sporicidal agents; Field trials, efficacy testing and assessment of environmental impact; Management and knowledge transfer

c).Expected Results:    As a result of combined efforts of the Consortium Partners new technological approaches will be developed with the potential to impact across a number of areas.  These will include the development of environmentally friendly phage base approaches capable to decontaminating agricultural land; the project brings together scientific communities of Western Europe and third country partners in Georgia and Ukraine, strengthening the scientific potential of ERA. In this project participants share common fundamental ethical rules as regards research and science. Having the same ethical and social values, Partners respect possible cultural differences and during Transfer of Knowledge visits will foster closer positions on these issues. An intensive exchange of researchers will result in a larger number of achievements in: synthesis of a  prototype environmentally friendly anthrax  spore decontaminants; deeper understanding of the ecology of Anthrax and its decontamination; effective training for both experts and young scientists and PhD students; joint publications in journals, books, and collective monographs; joint presentation at international conferences; effective exchange by ideas, information, samples, etc.; more effective use of equipment; implementation of methodologies developed by the participants at the partner institutions.