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VISAVET
VISAVET staff
      The VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre is a centre for research support and teaching belonging to the Complutense University of Madrid and is situated inside the complex to form with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital.


The field work of VISAVET includes the following areas:


Objectives
     The general aims of the Center are Research and Training, together with technology transfer and activities of scientific and technical advice, within the areas mentioned above and aimed to the public and private sector.

 

To achieve these objectives the VISAVET Center:

  • Participate and co-ordinate R&D projects
  • Transfer the scientific advances to public and private sectors
  • Advise companies and governments together with scientific and technological support
  • Organize training courses and scientific and technical stays, for both students and professionals nationally and internationally
  • Develop outreach activities to bring science closer to the society

History
     The VISAVET Centre has its origins in the research group Health Surveillance, formed in 1993 by some professors in the Department of Animal Health of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Complutense University, who joined their resource, effort and knowledge. The initial idea of the group has grown and evolved to crystallize in the current reality of a new center, formed by the Complutense University in April 2008.

     The Centre's expertise has been endorsed, among other achievements, through accreditation by ENAC according to ISO 17025 and its designation of its laboratories and reference laboratories worldwide for different diseases.

Facilities

     VISAVET Centre has laboratories located in different areas of biological containment, designed and built to work with infectious agents at risk, in a completely safe for staff working in them and the community around them.


With a total area of 2700 m2 has three distinct areas:

  • Biosafety level 2 Area or BSL-2: It has laboratories and necropsy room specifically designed for the analysis of biological agents in Group 2 (RD 664/1997).
  • Biosafety level 3 Area or BSL-3: It has BSL-3 biosafety laboratories and BSL-3 necropsy room working with biological agents listed in Risk Group 3 (former OIE List A). This area has also a ABSL-3 animal facilities with three individual boxes with air conditioning and independent access to allow the simultaneous performance of different assays and controls.
  • Cleanroom Class-A Area: Located in an area currently undergoing clean equipment.