As with all good things, continual evaluation is key to success in the swine industry. What can we do to serve the industry better? How can we help producers? Opening the door to game-changing, field-applicable research producers can use to make a difference in their operations is the heart of Boehringer Ingelheim’s efforts to fund research in swine health.
“That’s always been our magnetic north – to generate knowledge that’s field applicable to make a difference for tomorrow,” says Reid Philips, DVM, PRRS technical manager with Boehringer Ingelheim. “I think as practitioners in the field, we understand the challenges producers in the industry face. We understand the complex nature of diseases and the interconnection of health, environment and biosecurity. We also see and hear the questions around those issues producers have.”
That’s why Boehringer Ingelheim is expanding its research funding program, Growing Research and New Technology for Swine (GRANTS). This program builds on what was previously known as the Awards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Disease (AWARRD).
Reid Philips announces GRANTS program at AASV’s Annual Meeting.
Boehringer Ingelheim announced this expansion on Feb. 28 during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting in Indianapolis.
“This funding program allows researchers and veterinarians to prioritize important questions, to prioritize and design field-applicable research studies that would help address or shed light on those questions in all areas of swine health,” Philips says.
Why the Change?
The program started in 2002 with a focus on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is still a primary focus as it’s the most economically significant disease in our country, and there’s still a lot we can do, Philips says.
Over the years, the program expanded to include all respiratory diseases and this year, the program is growing to fund research to address the full scope of swine health and production, from respiratory, reproductive and enteric diseases to new technologies, diagnostics and overall approaches to supporting pig health and performance.
“Those who have participated in the grant program have helped develop important solutions, taking what they’ve learned to help move the needle to improve swine health and performance,” Philips says.
An independent research review board reviews the proposals and selects the research winners. This is important to point out, Philips says, because this group functions independent of Boehringer Ingelheim.
“The evolution of this program is directly related to feedback from this board who impact what we do and how we do it,” he says. “The board is essentially the voice of the field, including veterinarians, pork producers and the research community. Their voice is significant, and we’ve listened to it.”
Over the years, Boehringer Ingelheim has provided more than $1.5 million in support of the development of less costly, innovative diagnostic testing and sampling processes; identified more effective biosecurity practices; helped the industry better understand key diseases; and developed risk assessment tools, intervention programs and vaccination strategies.
“The expansion of the program increases its impact, enabling valuable learnings about holistic pig health and allowing us to better tackle the complex and ever-changing challenges producers face in the barn every day,” Philips says.
This program wouldn’t work without collaboration, he points out. Through valuable relationships with AASV members, swine vets with “boots on the ground” are helping their clients fight important battles in swine health by posing important questions.
“We look at it as an industry collaboration. It takes a village. Some of these questions and issues are hard, but in a collaborative environment, with all hands on deck, we are better and more adept at addressing these questions and providing better answers and solutions to our industry,” Philips says.
Call for Proposals
Through this program, Boehringer Ingelheim will award funding to three research proposals for $35,000 each. The call for proposals is open now through May 31.
Research proposals must have the potential to generate new information or approaches to the control and management of swine diseases or inspire broader industry innovation. Proposals will be judged by the Swine Research and Technology Review Board.
“By implementing the key learnings from the research funded by GRANTS [Growing Research and New Technology for Swine], veterinarians and producers can more effectively implement tools and protocols to control and manage swine diseases with less impact on production,” says Montse Torremorell, DVM, with the University of Minnesota.
For more information on the GRANTS program, including how to apply, visit the GRANTS website.
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