First One Health Forum brings researchers together across disciplines and institutes

At the first meeting, participants introduced their research interests and areas of expertise and discussed potential opportunities for collaboration. The participants represented a remarkably broad range of disciplines, including psychology, apiculture, plant biology, forest ecology and engineering, as well as animal health and welfare. The Forum also brought together researchers at different stages of their careers, from long-established professors to PhD students.

According to Professor Alireza Fazeli, Director of the One Health Centre, the first meeting clearly demonstrated the breadth of one health-related knowledge and expertise that already exists at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

A One Health university

“We already are a One Health university. One Health is embedded in the core of our university. What we need to do now is bring people together, create connections and provide an environment where those connections can grow into new ideas, collaborations and science,” said Fazeli.

He also emphasised that meaningful collaboration across disciplines has become an increasingly essential prerequisite for securing research funding. Funding agencies are looking for projects in which bringing together expertise from different fields produces something that no single discipline could achieve on its own – new knowledge, new directions for research, or a qualitatively new level of scientific inquiry.

The One Health approach recognises the close interconnectedness of human, animal, plant and environmental health. One of the Forum’s key objectives is therefore to bring together researchers from different disciplines, identify the expertise, methods and research infrastructure already available across the university, and find areas of shared research interest. These connections may lead to smaller collaborative projects as well as larger national and international research initiatives and funding applications.

The One Health Forum will take place once a month, with meetings rotating between institutes to encourage new connections across the university. The next Forum will be held in October at the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, with Associate Professor Tiina Tosens supporting its organisation. Further details about the time and location of the next meeting will be announced soon.

The One Health Forum is open to researchers and other interested colleagues across the Estonian University of Life Sciences who would like to learn more about each other’s work, share their expertise and ideas, and explore opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.