Research

Key International Initiative VECT-OH

A global alliance for sustainable risk mitigation through a One Health approach.

The key international initiative ‘VECT-OH: A Global Alliance for Sustainable Vector Risk Mitigation in a One Health Approach is being developed at the University as part of the UM2030 project, a winner of the “Integration and Development of IdEx and ISITE” (IDéES) Call for Projects. The initiative aims to mobilize and unite the international scientific community around the key challenges and major issues related to insect and arthropod vectors and the diseases they transmit to humans, animals, and plants. The consortium formed around UM’s partner universities promotes integrative research, applying the “One Health” approach to the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. Its ambition is to transcend traditional bilateral collaborations by identifying cross-cutting issues with high added value that can be scaled to regional levels, thereby bringing together funders and stakeholders for sustainable vector risk management in the context of climate change. The scientific priority is focused on vector-borne risks associated with urban greening and regreening, in line with the expertise represented within the consortium and the agendas of local partners in the regions where the consortium operates.

Objectives

The VECT-OH initiative aims to:

  • Build, unite, and foster a research and expert community focused on the issue of vectors and vector-borne diseases, with an emphasis on integrative, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral approaches spanning human, animal, plant, and environmental public health,  
  • Support local research activities in this area to foster collaboration among teams and promote standardized and reproducible approaches,
  • Seek external funding to expand research activities internationally,
  • To generate the scientific evidence and tools needed by public policy makers to make decisions regarding the sustainable management of vector-borne risks.

The initiative offers:

  • Funding opportunities for local research projects on this topic
  • Opportunities for partners to share data and experiences
  • The development of an international community of stakeholders focused on this topic
  • Opportunities to publish scientific and technical documents for a variety of audiences,
  • International visibility for the research topic, the chance to participate in international events, and networking opportunities for young researchers

Program

The consortium organizes an annual in-person workshop in Montpellier.

In 2022, the first workshop identified the issue of vector-borne risk associated with urban (re)greening as a priority area of research and led to the development of a roadmap to bring together all stakeholders on this topic; one of the first steps outlined in the roadmap is to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the relationships between urban vegetation, vectors, and vector-borne risk.

The 2023 workshop combined field visits to compare the experimental protocols used by the various partners for monitoring vector populations with group discussions on protocol standardization, which led to the joint development of a collective response to a Biodiversa+ call for proposals involving all eligible partners.

The 2024 workshop was held in conjunction with the 23rd Conference of the European Society for Vector Ecology, which brought together more than 450 participants in Montpellier under the theme “One Health in Action.”

This workshop provided an opportunity to review local initiatives, finalize the consortium’s first joint publication, and draft the Biodivecity project, which was selected in response to the Biodiversa+ 2024 call for proposals.

During the 2025 workshop, we first welcomed representatives from the “Climate Café” project, which aims to map nature-based solutions in urban areas worldwide, and were able to map more than 80 such solutions in Montpellier. We then held the annual meeting of the Biodivecity project, which began in April 2025, during which we were able to finalize the standardized protocols through a field exercise.

The actors

The ‘VECT-OH: A Global Alliance for Sustainable Vector Risk Mitigation in a One Health Approach brings together research teams from seven universities and research institutes in the Global North and South—long-standing strategic partners of UM—focused on the topic of vectors and vector-borne risks. All partners are engaged in collaborative research projects and pool their experience, expertise, and resources to jointly develop and foster innovative and unifying research priorities. The consortium is open to the participation of other research teams and institutional partners.    

Governance

The VECT-OH initiative is led from Montpellier by Frédéric Simard (DR IRD, MIVEGEC) and Mathilde Mercat (UM postdoc). Coordination of the various research projects supported by the initiative is entrusted to the different partners, who meet regularly online and at least once a year in person in Montpellier.

7 Partners

  • Europe
    • University of Montpellier (UM), France
    • University of Barcelona (UB), SP
    • Netherlands Institute for Vectors, Invasive Plants, and Plant Health (NIVIP), NL
    • Wageningen University and Research (WUR), Netherlands
  • North America
    • University of California, Davis (UC Davis), USA
  • Africa
    • Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD), Senegal
    • Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine (IAV Hassan II), MA

Productions

Current projects

  • BiodiVecity (April 2025–April 2028) (WUR, NIVIP, UM, UB, IAV): Impact of different levels of urban vegetation on vectors and vector-borne diseases.

See also

Contact

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Major programs