The NC229 multi-station research consortium on emerging viral diseases of swine: Solving stakeholder problems through innovative science and research

The NC229 research consortium was created in 1999 in response to the emergence of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), a viral agent responsible for devastating economic losses to the swine industry. The project follows the traditional “consortium” approach for Multistate Agricultural Research driven through the US State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES), wherein stakeholder-driven needs to combat swine infectious diseases are identified and scientific solutions pursued by combining funds from federal, state, commodity groups, and the animal health industry. The NC229 consortium was the main driving force in successfully competing for a USDA multi-station Coordinated Agricultural Project (PRRS CAP-I) in 2004–2008, immediately followed by a renewal for 2010–2014 (PRRS CAP-II)-, resulting in an overall record achievement of almost $10 million dollars. The CAP funding was not only useful for quality research, extension, and education in PRRS and related diseases, but also instrumental in enabling the group to leverage swine industry funding of more than $34 million dollars, distributed between creative research and extension on PRRS during the last 20 years. The North American/International PRRS Symposium, now recognized by the community as a highly effective platform for the exchange of basic research findings and fundamental translational technology, is directly derived from the NC229 consortium. Other significant offshoots from NC229 include the PHGC (PRRS Host Genomic Consortium), a platform for discoveries on the role of host genetics during PRRSV infection, since 2007. Since 2009, the NC229 consortium has expanded its collective research interests beyond PRRSV to include nine other emerging viral diseases of swine. In the current project (2019–2024), African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) retains a central focus, with the goal of harnessing the group's expertise in promoting preparedness for the global control of ASFV.