Since we are a heterogeneous group of scientists with a wide range of competences, we are interested in collaborating with partners working within both the Animal Welfare (Topic 1) or Prevention and Control (Topic 2) topics. We particularly welcome cooperation with veterinary research institutes, universities, animal health organisations, and applied research centres active in animal welfare, animal health, and livestock or aquaculture systems.

Within collaborative projects, our team contributes the following competencies:

A) At the ethical, social and analytical level:
- Applied ethics analysis to support decision-making process;
- Stakeholder engagement and expert consultation through participatory methods (e.g., focus groups, Delphi studies, surveys, and World Cafès);
- Stakeholder engagement to analyse practical approaches aimed at integrating disease mitigation measures with improved animal welfare standards;
- Collection and analysis of stakeholder perspectives relevant to welfare-enhancing practices;
- Collection of stakeholder and public input to assess how the implementation of improved animal welfare standards impacts on existing policies and their application.

B) At the wildlife health monitoring level:
- Integrated monitoring of wildlife diseases associating parasitic and infectious disease monitoring (classical and molecular analyses) to wildlife population monitoring (e.g. Camera trapping, Capture-mark recapture, Biologging)
- Implementation of capture-free wildlife biologging methods
- Application of Machine learning and Deep learning techniques for the interpretation of biologging data.

Our group includes researchers from two departments of Padua University: Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science (BCA) and Department of Animal medicine, Production and Health (MAPS)

The Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare (BCA) is a research unit within the University of Padua dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding and application of ethical analysis across multiple domains. These include biodiversity conservation, scientific research involving animals, farming and agriculture, companion animals and animal-assisted interventions, as well as the management of wild animals in zoos, aquaria and sanctuaries.
The laboratory focuses on identifying and analysing the ethical and societal challenges associated with animal use and management, with the aim of supporting responsible decision-making by researchers, practitioners, institutions and policy-makers.

The MAPS department brings together a multidisciplinary research team with extensive expertise in animal management, infectious and parasitic disease analysis, epidemiology, and integrated wildlife disease monitoring. Our research infrastructure encompasses several specialized laboratories dedicated to infectious disease diagnostics, parasitic disease analysis, and chemical characterization through conventional methods and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS).
Our approach to wildlife research emphasizes the development and application of minimally invasive monitoring techniques. We have pioneered innovative capture-free biologging methodologies and developed custom prototypes that allow us to gather critical data while minimizing stress and disturbance to wild populations. This field-based expertise complements our laboratory capabilities, enabling us to conduct comprehensive health assessments across diverse wildlife species and ecosystems.
The central focus of our research program lies at the intersection of wildlife conservation, health status evaluation, and welfare optimization. By integrating advanced diagnostic tools with ethical field monitoring practices, we aim to generate actionable insights that support evidence-based conservation strategies and improve our understanding of wildlife health dynamics in natural and managed environments.