UK Serotine Bat Populations

This contract will enable the delivery of a Defra funded research project ‘Investigating the Epidemiology and Transmission of European Bat Lyssavirus 1 in the UK’ to further our understanding of the increasing cases of bat rabies due to EBLV-1 in serotine bats in the Southwest of England. Furthering our understanding of host population genetics and host ecology using advanced molecular approaches will uniquely offer clues to understand the emergence, spread and potential maintenance of this fatal zoonotic virus in UK serotine bats. The Authority began the award process with the supplier before the new thresholds came into effect on 1 January 2026.