FWD Expert Exchange Programme

The Food- and Waterborne Diseases and Zoonoses Expert Exchange Programme (FWDEEP) is aimed at public health experts working with food- and waterborne diseases, zoonotic diseases, Legionnaires’ disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It entails a placement in an EU/EEA public health laboratory or public health institute/organisation and is open to all technical experts working in public health institute/organisation or laboratory at the national, regional or local level in EU/EEA. The application must be supported by the relevant National Focal Point or National Coordinator from the applicant’s country.

Objective

The programme offers a flexible training opportunity addressing the ad hoc learning needs so that technical experts can receive a targeted and hands-on training, which will develop their skills and competencies when the need has emerged. Vice versa, a technical expert may visit another laboratory/institute to offer e.g. trouble-shooting in a laboratory or hands-on training support in outbreak investigations. A successful applicant will have the opportunity to spend 2 – 5 days at a self-selected hosting site, using an on-the-job training principle. Each visit is organised around one or more specific topic(s) as identified and agreed by the applicant and the hosting site.

The exchange of knowledge and expertise is expected to cascade among colleagues on both sides of the exchange (applicant and host) with the aim of having a significant impact on improving public health laboratory capacity, surveillance, detection and response to local, regional, national and cross-border outbreaks.