IAEA Donates Equipment to Montenegro for Rapid African Swine Fever Diagnosis

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), through the regional project RER5027 “Enhancing Preparedness Capacities of the Veterinary Sector to Confront Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases of Livestock and Wildlife,” has made a valuable donation to Montenegro for the rapid diagnosis of African swine fever.

The Specialist Veterinary Laboratory, a licensed scientific research institution under the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation, received the donation. The Ministry, as the national contact institution for IAEA cooperation, facilitated this support.

The IAEA donation, valued at nearly 40,000 euros, will be used for activities related to the rapid diagnosis of African swine fever, a viral infectious disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, with a mortality rate that can reach 100% and severe economic consequences.

This donation is part of ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation to support and improve Montenegro’s veterinary sector. This includes strengthening research activities through international cooperation, particularly with the Specialist Veterinary Laboratory. Recently, with the Ministry’s support, the laboratory has engaged in successful project collaborations with the IAEA in Vienna. This has resulted in the acquisition and installation of valuable laboratory equipment, procurement of consumables (kits, reagents, etc.), provision of foreign expert support, and training for laboratory staff abroad