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K-State Today

July 26, 2012

Kansas Bioscience Authority approves funding for collaborative project using the Biosecurity Research Institute

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

The Kansas Bioscience Authority board of directors approved more than $860,000 for a Kansas State University collaborative research initiative. The Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, or CEEZAD, will receive funding of $868,515 to support work to develop ways to diagnose and control Schmallenberg virus, an emerging animal disease causing considerable losses in European cattle, goat and sheep herds.

While Schmallenberg virus is not yet present in the United States, its recent emergence and rapid spread make it a global animal health and economic threat. CEEZAD director Jürgen Richt, and William Wilson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will lead the research team. Richt is a regents distinguished professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and a Kansas Bioscience Authority eminent scholar.

The Biosecurity Research Institute at Pat Roberts Hall will provide biocontainment necessary for the project.

Approved investments are subject to final agreements between the Kansas Bioscience Authority and investees, with payments made only as the recipients achieve specified milestones.

The Kansas Bioscience Authority was created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to accelerate growth in the bioscience sector. Funded by Kansas income taxes generated by bioscience jobs, the Kansas Bioscience Authority investments help create high-paying jobs, fuel capital expenditures, spur outside grants, and encourage private capital investments in Kansas bioscience companies.