University of Edinburgh will organize five-day conference from February 19-23, 2014 at the Karnataka Veterinary Council Auditorium, Veterinary College campus, Hebbal, Bengaluru.

The five day event titled ‘Advances in Veterinary Research: Impact and Opportunities’ includes a public lecture genetically-engineered livestock. Broadly, the event will l focus on improving the quality of life for both livestock and pets, as well as diseases threatening India’s wildlife.

The conference is a collaborative event between the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Commonwealth Veterinary Association; Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences (KVA&FS) University, Bidar; and the National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology (NIAN&P), Bengaluru.

The scientists from Scotland’s leading research institute will play a key role at an event aimed at improving animal health and welfare in India.

Experts from the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies will be joined at the meeting in India by colleagues from the University’s Roslin Institute, whose research famously led to the creation of Dolly the sheep in 1996.

Topics for discussion include the use of genetic engineering to combat infectious diseases, finding new ways to tackle India’s growing problem of rabid dogs and examining treatments for other zoonotic diseases – those affecting both humans and animals.

Edinburgh recently ranked as one of the world’s top 20 universities  has an established expertise in veterinary research and teaching. The University has a long-standing relationship with India, with its first Indian student having graduated in 1876.

Professor Natalie Waran, head, University of Edinburgh’s International Animal Health, Welfare and Conservation Medicine Unit, is one of 11 experts from Edinburgh who would be present.

“The improvement of animal health and human health in India is a pressing concern, especially with the number of domestic and livestock animals set to rise significantly in the coming years,” stated Prof. Waran.

Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, principal, University of Edinburgh who is also present of the event stated that India is a tremendously important for the University of Edinburgh.

The quality of the students who apply to us is very high and the numbers wishing to study at Edinburgh continues to rise.  This conference will allow discussion of crucially important issues that affect India and the wider world and I look forward to valuable partnerships being established between Edinburgh and our friends in India,” added Prof. Shea.

Conference delegates will also hear about Edinburgh’s use of technology to provide distance-learning opportunities globally. In addition to a large number of postgraduate courses, Edinburgh has pioneered the provision of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These free online courses are available to anyone. To date, more than 600,000 people have enrolled for Edinburgh’s MOOCs.