On 17-18 June 2025, the DECIDE General Assembly brought together the project partners in the historic academic setting of Uppsala, Sweden. Hosted by the Swedish National Veterinary Institute (SVA), the meeting took place at Uppsala University – Sweden’s oldest university, still thriving since its founding in 1477. The beautiful and intellectually vibrant setting proved ideal for collaborative reflection and forward planning as the DECIDE project enters its final year.
As in previous meetings, the GA combined presentations with interactive workshop-style sessions, a format that again proved highly effective in fostering in-depth discussion and practical alignment across partners. This blend of structured updates and dynamic dialogue was introduced successfully last year in Nantes and continues to facilitate important progress on the project’s decision support tools.
Throughout the two-day event, the consortium reviewed recent achievements, discussed the final development and implementation steps, and shared input on future plans to maximise the impact of DECIDE’s tools. In addition to the main GA agenda with Work Package updates and strategic planning sessions, partners have organised three thematic workshops:
Early warning models, led by the University of Copenhagen team,
Definitions of Bovine Respiratory Disease and Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex, facilitated by IRTA, and
Exploitation of the tools, coordinated by the GD Animal Health team.
The meeting also offered an opportunity to support the project’s communication efforts. The accelopment team conducted video interviews with partners to spotlight the decision support tools under development. These interviews will be used in the upcoming “Tools” pages of the DECIDE project website, helping to share the project’s innovations with a broader audience.
As DECIDE enters its final year, the General Assembly in Uppsala served as a timely and energising moment to align on remaining priorities, consolidate partner contributions, and keep the momentum strong. With the project progressing well, the focus now turns to ensuring the final outcomes are ready for use and impact.
The next consortium meeting is planned to take place online in January 2026.
