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Moredun Foundation welcomes HRH The Princess Royal
HRH The Princess Royal received a private tour of the laboratories.

Charity showcases exciting new research
 
Staff and students at The Moredun Foundation received a visit from HRH The Princess Royal on Wednesday (30 November) in a special event to help celebrate Scotland’s year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

The event held at Pentlands Science Park, the headquarters of the Moredun Foundation and Moredun Research Institute, highlighted how creative design has been applied to benefit the health and welfare of livestock.

Joined by more than 100 representatives from the livestock and agricultural industries, The Princess Royal listened to case studies presented by early career scientists.

Dr Dan Price described how application of new protein expression technologies have revolutionised the development of new vaccines against nematode worms; Dr Valentina Busin looked at how smart engineering has enabled the design of a rapid pensive diagnostic test for sheep scab; and Dr Thomas Tzelos presented a short animated film on parasite control and prevention of drug resistance.

During her visit, The Princess Royal met post-graduate students and early career scientists, representatives from the farming industry, designers, research communities and the Equine Grass Sickness Charity. She also received a private tour of the laboratories and met scientists involved in diagnostics and livestock disease surveillance.

Mr Ian Duncan Miller, chairman of Moredun Foundation, commented: “Moredun is delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal to our event where we are showcasing the very exciting new research, conducted by early career scientists, showing the benefits, of applying innovative design to improve the health and welfare of livestock.”

The Moredun Foundation is a registered charity that promotes animal health and welfare through research and education. It is dedicated to a simple belief that the greatest benefit to animal welfare is the cure or prevention of disease. 

Image (C) JCMackintosh Photography

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.