Launched on January 14, 2020, the VPH (Lyon Veterinary Public Health initiative) Hub is the world's leading veterinary public health hub. It brings together nine founding partners federating the entire veterinary public health value chain. This unprecedented initiative is supported by nine public and private partners - Aderly, the Auvergne-RhôneAlpes Region, Bioaster, Boehringer Ingelheim, Institut Mérieux, Lyonbiopôle, the Métropole de Lyon, the University of Lyon and VetAgro Sup - to which are added two associated partners, Inrae and Anses

Future actions:

• A teaching and research chair: Among the concrete projects already well underway, the creation of a teaching and research chair in veterinary public health labeled IDEX Lyon (Initiative of Excellence for the Future Investment Program). Led by Boehringer Ingelheim, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard de Lyon and VetAgro Sup, this initiative aims to "promote veterinary public health by setting up interdisciplinary training for international audiences (...)". This project should mobilize a budget of 1.2 million euros contributed equally by Boehringer Ingelheim and the University (for 500,000 euros each), the CNRS and VetAgro Sup providing 100,000 euros each.
• Make Lyon a key veterinary health center: Building a real veterinary health sector in Lyon, while continuing to attract investment in particular, is a strong axis of the hub, which intends in particular to promote the emergence of start-ups, encourage collaborations between the various players in the sector, and promoting the territory at national and international level.
• Another flagship project: to encourage apprenticeship and vocational training in order to meet the challenges of companies in the sector which, in certain trades, are finding it difficult to recruit.
• Finally, other initiatives, such as the organization of a major international conference on veterinary health in 2021, are also on the agenda.