VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre. UCM

What VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre. UCM does

VISAVET (Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria) is a multidisciplinary health surveillance centre embedded within the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, operating since 1996 and formally constituted as an EU Reference Laboratory for bovine tuberculosis in 2008. The centre comprises six specialised units covering mycobacterial diagnostics (MYC), foodborne zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance (ZTA), viral immunology and preventive medicine (SUAT), quantitative epidemiology (EPIQ), information and communication services (SIC), and veterinary livestock assistance (SEVEGAN). Its technical portfolio centres on immunological, bacteriological, and molecular diagnostic testing for infectious animal diseases, supported by ENAC accreditation, with output exceeding 1,000 scientific publications and ongoing operation of the Red VAV antimicrobial resistance surveillance network since 1997.

The centre generates revenue through three professional-services streams: fee-for-service laboratory diagnostics with online credit-card payment; commissioned research and surveillance contracts with government agencies (Spanish ministries, Comunidad de Madrid, DG SANTE) and international organisations (EFSA, OMSA, FAO); and structured training programmes including EURL Training Mobility courses and postgraduate research degrees. Customers are overwhelmingly public-sector and intergovernmental (reference laboratory mandates from the European Commission and WOAH), with secondary engagement from livestock producers and academic collaborators. The 2023 WOAH Reference Laboratory designation for tuberculosis in mammals extended VISAVET's official mandate from the EU to a global remit, while ongoing research in vector-borne diseases, wildlife zoonoses (Hantavirus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever), African Swine Fever, SARS-CoV-2, and marine mammal health indicates continued scope expansion. Distribution is direct through the Madrid facility rather than multi-channel.

Name

VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre. UCM

Legal name

Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Website

https://visavet.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VISAVET is the EU and WOAH Reference Laboratory for tuberculosis and a multidisciplinary veterinary surveillance centre at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, providing accredited diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance surveillance, and epidemiological research to government agencies and international organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (541940), Medical Laboratories (621511), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing (Culture/PCR/Serology) (HLAMADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories & Pathology (AFAEANAF), Diagnostics & Laboratory Services (Sampling, Necropsy, Disease Investigation) (AFACADAF), Reference Laboratory Testing (Clinical Pathology & Chemistry) (HLAMADAA), Molecular & Genetic Testing (Breed, Hereditary Disease, Oncology) (HLAMADAE)

Keywords

• Veterinary diagnostic services
• Animal disease surveillance
• Tuberculosis reference laboratory
• Antimicrobial resistance monitoring
• Veterinary epidemiology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Laboratory diagnostic services: Fee-for-service laboratory testing for animal health diagnostics, including sample analysis for pathogens, antimicrobial resistance testing, and disease surveillance. Payment is processed online via credit card through the website.
2. Research projects and contracts: Commissioned research projects with government agencies and international organizations for disease surveillance, epidemiology, and control program evaluation
3. Training and education: Organization and delivery of training courses, workshops, and educational programs for veterinary professionals including EURL Training Mobility courses

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VISAVET provides accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratory testing for infectious animal diseases, with specialized units in mycobacterial infections (tuberculosis), foodborne zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance, viral immunology, quantitative epidemiology, and livestock veterinary assistance. It also conducts commissioned epidemiological research, disease surveillance, and training programs for veterinary professionals under its designations as EU Reference Laboratory for bovine tuberculosis and WOAH/OMSA Reference Laboratory for tuberculosis in mammals.

Product overview

VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre is a veterinary research institution at Universidad Complutense de Madrid offering a multi-service portfolio of diagnostic, research, and surveillance capabilities. The center operates as a unified platform consisting of specialized laboratory and research services including: the Mycobacteria Service (MYC) providing tuberculosis diagnostics and serving as EU/WHOA Reference Laboratory; the Foodborne Zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance Service (ZTA); the Viral Immunology and Preventive Medicine Service (SUAT); the Quantitative Epidemiology Service (EPIQ); the IT and Communication Service (SIC); and the Veterinary Livestock Assistance Service (SEVEGAN). VISAVET also participates in the national PRAM plan and the VAV antimicrobial resistance surveillance network. The center provides accredited laboratory testing services, clinical trial support, and veterinary advisory services primarily serving public health authorities, livestock producers, and the scientific community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Servicio de Micobacterias (MYC) Immunological, bacteriological, and molecular diagnosis of mycobacterial infections, primarily tuberculosis, in domestic and wild animals. Designated as EU Reference Laboratory for bovine tuberculosis (2008) and WOAH/OMSA Reference Laboratory for tuberculosis in mammals (2023), providing reference services to National Reference Laboratories and official veterinary services.
• Servicio de Zoonosis de Transmisión Alimentaria y Resistencia a Antimicrobianos (ZTA) Study and surveillance of foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, Yersinia, Staphylococcus aureus) and analysis of antimicrobial resistance patterns in zoonotic and commensal bacteria. Operates the Red VAV surveillance network and submits data to EFSA, supporting Comunidad de Madrid and Spanish national food safety programs.
• Servicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT) Surveillance, diagnosis, control, and prevention of high-impact animal infectious diseases including African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, Bluetongue, SARS-CoV-2, and other pathogens affecting livestock and wildlife, including marine mammals through the Marine Tissue Bank.
• Servicio de Epidemiología Cuantitativa (EPIQ) Quantitative epidemiology services applying epidemiological modeling, risk factor analysis, and scenario tree modeling to assess disease surveillance program sensitivity and support animal health decision-making for eradication and control programs.
• Servicio Veterinario de Asistencia Ganadera (SEVEGAN) Veterinary livestock assistance combining research support, clinical efficacy trials, epidemiological studies, national eradication program participation, and veterinary advisory services for production animal operations and collaborating enterprises.
• Laboratorio de Análisis (Accredited Testing Laboratory) ENAC-accredited testing laboratory services for animal health diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance analysis, and disease surveillance, supporting Spanish national eradication programs with online service request and credit-card payment.
• Red VAV (Spanish Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Network) Longitudinal surveillance network monitoring antimicrobial resistance across healthy animals, sick animals, and food of animal origin in Spain, with data submitted to EFSA for inclusion in EU-wide annual reports.
• Training Courses and Educational Programs for Veterinary Professionals Training courses, workshops, and educational programs for veterinary professionals, including EURL Training Mobility courses and PhD programs, covering diagnostic methods, epidemiology, and disease control.
• Commissioned Research and Surveillance Projects Commissioned research projects with government agencies and international organizations for disease surveillance, epidemiology, and control program evaluation, including collaborations with FAO, WOAH/OMSA, OIRSA, DG SANTE, and EFSA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established surveillance systems covering healthy animals, sick animals, and food of animal origin since 1997
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (MAPAMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides ongoing financial and operational support for the Red VAV (Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Network), which monitors antimicrobial resistance in animals and food of animal origin across Spain. Data is submitted to EFSA for inclusion in EU-wide annual reports.
• Comunidad de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides support for the Red VAV surveillance network activities, contributing to regional animal health monitoring and food safety surveillance programs.
• Ministerio de Sanidad - Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios (AEMPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in PRAM (Plan Nacional de Resistencia a los Antibióticos), the national strategic plan to reduce antibiotic resistance risk, contributing expertise on veterinary aspects of antimicrobial resistance.
• Instituto de Salud Carlos IIImajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates through Centro Nacional de Microbiología and Centro Nacional de Epidemiología on antimicrobial resistance surveillance and public health aspects of zoonotic diseases.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on disease surveillance, risk analysis, and capacity building for animal health, particularly regarding transboundary diseases like African Swine Fever.
• EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes data to EFSA for European antimicrobial resistance monitoring and foodborne zoonosis surveillance. Red VAV data is submitted to EFSA for inclusion in annual EU reports.
• OIRSA (International Regional Organization for Plant Protection)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on animal health issues in the Central American region, particularly regarding disease surveillance and control programs.
• Fundación Oceanogràfic - Marine Tissue BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Marine Tissue Bank established in 2009, for storage, characterization, and systematic study of biological samples from marine fauna, supporting marine health research, epidemiology, toxicology, and conservation studies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sciensano: Belgian public scientific research institute active in animal and human health, with veterinary reference laboratory functions and AMR surveillance activities. Highly comparable mission and reference-lab positioning to VISAVET, particularly in zoonoses and AMR.
• GD Animal Health (Royal GD): Dutch veterinary diagnostic and animal health organization offering laboratory testing, surveillance, and herd health programs. Closely comparable to VISAVET in fee-for-service diagnostic testing, livestock health focus, and surveillance network operations.
• Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI): Germany's federal research institute for animal health and a major EU/WOAH reference laboratory for multiple livestock diseases. Comparable in mission (reference diagnostics, epidemiology, surveillance), institutional status (public/government-affiliated), and breadth of disease coverage.
• ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail): French national reference laboratory network for animal health, food safety, and AMR with multiple EU/WOAH reference mandates. Directly comparable to VISAVET in scope (national reference lab, EU Reference Laboratory functions, AMR surveillance) and customer base (government, EU institutions).
• Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR): Dutch research institute performing diagnostics, research, and reference laboratory work on livestock diseases including TB and viral infections. Directly comparable in reference-lab diagnostics, infectious disease focus, and public institutional affiliation.
• VISAVET-CIEM (Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal - CISA, INIA-CSIC): Spanish national animal health research center (CISA-INIA-CSIC) operating as another national reference laboratory and EU Reference Laboratory for several animal diseases. Direct peer to VISAVET in mission, geographic context (Spain), and reference-lab positioning.

Broad incumbents

• APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK): UK executive agency providing reference laboratory, surveillance, and research services for animal and plant health. Comparable in national reference-lab role, AMR and TB surveillance work, and government-funded operating model, though with broader scope and larger scale.
• IDEXXX Laboratories (IDEXX): Global leader in veterinary diagnostics with reference laboratory services alongside in-clinic analyzers. Comparable in core diagnostic testing activity, but operates at vastly larger commercial scale and serves companion-animal and livestock markets globally.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement): French public research institute covering animal health, epidemiology, and infectious disease research. Comparable as a publicly funded research institution with veterinary diagnostic and AMR capabilities, though much larger and broader in scope than VISAVET.
• Eurofins Veterinary: Major commercial laboratory network with significant veterinary and food-safety testing capacity in Europe. Comparable in fee-for-service diagnostic offering and AMR testing services, but operates commercially at much larger scale than VISAVET.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/visavet

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre. UCM