Period: 2000 to 2004
EU Contract : QLK1-1999-0054, Food, Nutrition & Health, DG Research
Full name: rapid detection of transnational foodborne viral infections and elucidation of transmission routes through molecular tracing and development of a common database

In this project the importance of enteric viruses as causes of illness across Europe is studied, with a special focus on multinational outbreaks of infection with Norwalk-like viruses and Hepatitis A virus.
Novel, standardized, rapid methods for virus detection and typing are being developed to be
used in all participating laboratories.
The network is used as a framework for a rapid, prepublication exchange of epidemiological, virological and molecular diagnostic data.
The high-risk foods and major transmission routes of foodborne viral infections in the different countries and between countries are determined and the pattern of diversity within and between countries is described, and potential pandemic strains are identified at the onset.               

Period: June 2004 to June 2007
EU Contract: Proposal. No. 790965, Public Health, DG Sanco
Full name: Prevention of emerging (food-borne) enteric viral infections: diagnosis, viability testing, networking and epidemiology

The goal of the project was to develop a  surveillance programme for noroviruses across the EU and applicant countries. A continuous programme of  sequencing and strain  characterization has been established to identify important norovirus outbreaks associated with traded foods and tourism, which enables the detection of possible transnational outbreaks and the emergence of novel and more aggressive strains.
Reports on norovirus activity were published in Eurosurveillance and on ProMED.
At the core of this European surveillance and research network functions a common web database.

Period:Sept 2004 to Sept 2008
EU Contract : FP6-2002-SSP-1 , Policy oriented-research unde the Sixth Framework Programme, DG Research
Full name: Enteric Virus Emergence, New Tools (EVENT)

EVENT is a project in which laboratory tools and database infrastructure are developed to improve the detection of food- and waterborne viruses (and rare and emerging diseases attributable to enteric viruses) and outbreaks caused by them. The research programme will establish which pathogens pose the greatest risk to the food chain, evaluate modes of transmission and develop suitable diagnostic assays. A shared database infrastructure will be developed for tracking these viruses. The aims of the project are;

• To network expertise on enteric viruses from molecular virological, clinical, medical and veterinary perspective
• To bridge the gap between research and routine application of molecular virological tools in communicable disease surveillance
• To facilitate the development of the laboratory basis for a surveillance network for detection of common-source outbreaks of noroviruses
• To facilitate the development of the laboratory basis for a surveillance network for detection of common-source outbreaks of hepatitis A virus by providing scientific and methodological guidance to the basic laboratory network for detection and typing of food-borne viruses in Europe
• To provide science-based testing algorithms for detection and typing of noroviruses and hepatitis A viruses
• To provide a resource network for advanced investigation of cases of unusual gastro-enteritis and hepatitis of suspected (enteric) viral etiology
• To provide a basic database representing the currently circulating enteric viral gene sequences present in animals and humans, that will serve as a reference database for future surveillance activities.