The PANDA project aims to establish a permanent network of aquatic animal health specialists (researchers and diagnosticians) to provide a forum for the debate of issues concerning diseases in European aquaculture, and to communicate the results of these discussions to the European Commission with provision of advice on EU policy and legislation for aquatic animal health. PANDA consists of five scientific work packages: risk analysis, epidemiology, diagnosis, environmentally safe strategies for disease control, training in research and diagnostics. These work packages are lead by PANDA consortium members, supported by small task force of specialists, with wider input from experts registered in the PANDA network. Focused workshops and ongoing online discussions on subjects related to aquatic infectious diseases are being held for exchange of scientific information and opinion. Progress and outputs • A project website has established, and 200 worldwide experts have joined the network. • A simple hazard scoring system was used to identify and prioritize the most significant exotic, emerging and re-emerging disease hazards for European aquatic animals. • A prototype database of epidemiological characteristics of the identified disease hazards has been developed, information is being collated and entered onto it. • An assessment of the current best methods for rapid and accurate detection was undertaken for the main aquatic disease hazards and will help to identify requirements for improvements, standardization and validation. • Disease treatment strategies and their known or likely impact on the environment were reviewed and discussed. • A links based database of training opportunities for aquatic animal disease research and diagnosis is under development, and can be viewed on the website. Further details are available on the website (www.europanda.net) where you can register on the expert database to keep abreast of progress, contact other experts in your field, and contribute to the discussions and debates.