Kazakhstan and China Launch One Health Research Center in Almaty

Kazakhstan and China have opened a joint research center in Almaty focused on infectious diseases and biosafety. The Center for One Health Research opened on July 27 at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, known as KazNARU. It was created under Kazakhstan’s National Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During the opening ceremony, four institutions signed a memorandum covering joint research and academic exchanges. The signatories were Kazakhstan’s National Academy of Sciences, KazNARU, Zhejiang University, and the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The center will support research into microbiology, veterinary medicine, public health, and infectious diseases. Its work will also cover antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and biological security. The One Health approach recognizes that the health of people, animals, plants, and ecosystems is closely connected. It encourages medical, veterinary, agricultural, and environmental specialists to work together on shared health risks. The World Health Organization says more than 60% of emerging infectious diseases reported worldwide originate in wild or domestic animals. Closer monitoring across human, animal, and environmental health systems can help identify outbreaks earlier and improve prevention. WHO develops the approach alongside the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the UN Environment Programme. KazNARU said the new center would provide a platform for joint Kazakhstan-China research projects. It will also support exchanges involving scientists, lecturers, and students. The initiative expands scientific cooperation between Kazakhstan and China in biotechnology and applied research. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, institutions from the two countries have also agreed to develop biological crop-protection products and transfer agricultural technologies.