HISTORY OF SEVN AND PAST MEETINGS

Despite the new name, the network has been in existence since 1952 when virologists at three separate institutes situation within a 3 mile radius in Wiltshire decided to hold regular meetings to share information and maximise their research. These three centres (DSTL, PHE-Porton and the now defunct Common Cold Unit) formed a network called the South Wilts Virus Group (SWVG) as all were based in South Wiltshire. These meetings proved extremely successful and several other institutes and local universities joined the network, and despite the majority of partners being from locations far removed from South Wiltshire, the network kept the name for more than six decades due to the historical attachment of SWVG.

In 2017, a decision was taken to rename the network as SWVG no longer reflected the participants of a network that now stretched from Plymouth and Bristol in the west, to Sussex and Kent in east. The decision to rename was taken with a heavy-heart as SWVG had been a mainstay of thousands of researchers careers for several decades, but the new moniker (Southern England Virology Network) offered the potential to expand this network in ways that were not possible when SWVG was originally formed in the 1950s.

Unfortunately, details of most of the 100+ past SWVG meetings are consigned to the memories of those who attended, but records that have survived are listed below. We intend to record as much information as possible from SEVN meetings going forward!

HISTORICAL (SWVG) meetings

19 September 2108 - The Pirbright Institute (poster)

24 May 2018 - Oxford Brookes (poster)

08 March 2018 - DSTL (poster)

30 November 2017 - APHA (poster)

06 September 2017 - NIBSC (poster)

09 June 2017 - PHE Porton (details)

25 January 2017 - University of Surrey (poster)

3 February 2016- The Pirbright Institute (poster)

22 September 2015- Dstl, Porton Down (poster)

21 April 2015- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology (poster)

22 January 2015- Animal and Plant Health Agency (poster)