Media Release
30 May 2025
A new avian influenza collaboration between Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and Indonesia has gained international recognition with endorsement from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) at the World Assembly of Delegates held in Paris this week.
The three-year initiative, BICOLLAB, is part of WOAH’s prestigious Laboratory Twinning Program and brings together CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) and Indonesia’s Disease Investigation Centre (DIC) Wates laboratory to strengthen the Asia-Pacific region’s response to the continuing threat of avian influenza.
Dr Debbie Eagles, Director of ACDP, said the project comes at a critical time as highly pathogenic avian influenza strains like H5 continue to pose serious risks across the globe. “By sharing our expertise as a WOAH Reference Centre, we’re helping build a stronger, more connected network for early detection and response,” said Dr Eagles.
Dr Imron Suandy, Director of Animal Health, Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, welcomed the endorsement as a major opportunity for Indonesia’s animal health system. “Through BICOLLAB, we are enhancing Indonesia’s capacity for avian influenza diagnostics and surveillance through support to the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture’s Disease Investigation Centre Wates as the designated avian influenza national reference laboratory and ASEAN Regional Reference Centre for Bioinformatics in animal health,” said Dr Suandy.
“Furthermore, this project is enhancing our ability to detect and respond to avian influenza outbreaks more quickly and reliably. This collaboration strengthens not only our laboratory, but the resilience of the entire region.”
Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson, said the endorsement was an important vote of confidence in the science-led collaboration. "This project is about more than knowledge sharing; it’s about building sustainable diagnostic capacity that protects animal and public health across our region,” said Dr Cookson.
The project is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, reflecting Australia's commitment to health security and regional cooperation. BICOLLAB represents the next chapter in CSIRO’s long-standing commitment to science-driven partnerships that improve regional and global biosecurity.
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