The first Award will be presented during the Opening Ceremony at the forthcoming WVPA Congress that will be held in Cape Town in South Africa from 7 to 11 September 2015.

It is envisaged that nominations for the Award will come from the pure and applied research fields as well as from those involved in the application or monitoring of vaccination and that nominations will come from the research, academic and practitioner sectors. The winner will receive €5,000 to help fund his/her on-going professional development or training, as well as a suitable memento of the occasion.

WVPA’s vice president, Nigel Horrox, said: “We see vaccination as a key facet of modern poultry production that is important in all regions of the world and we really appreciate Merial’s involvement and support for this Award which will give well-deserved recognition to those involved in this key activity, maintaining high standards in poultry health and productivity.”

Sharing his views, Dr Stéphane Lemière, Merial Global Avian Technical Services Director, added: “Merial plays a significant role throughout the world with innovative products, services and technical advice in poultry vaccination and looks forward to working with WVPA on this new Award which we see as an excellent way of recognising the importance played by individuals in this critical aspect of health management in modern poultry production. This is a real opportunity for innovative 'out-of-the-box' thinking”.

A selection committee will be composed of WVPA and Merial representatives.

Nominations giving details of the nominated person’s personal details and career to date, together with reasons for nomination (maximum 500 words) should be sent to [email protected] by 12 June.

Full details of the WVPA-Merial Innovation in Vaccination Award can be found in the Awards Application Section of the WVPA web site, www.wvpa.net.

Further information about the WVPA Congress is available on the event web site, www.wvpac2015.com.