Center for Veterinary Biologics

Vision, Mission, and Strategic Goals

Values

Center personnel are committed to the following core values.

Teamwork	Sharing leadership, responsibility, accountability, and learning with each other
Growth	Seeking opportunities for continual learning to maintain a highly qualified workforce
Science	Focusing on science as the fundamental basis for decisionmaking
Objectivity	Developing and applying consistent criteria which result in decisions that are defendable and appropriate
Balance	Developing policies and decisions that make the greatest sense given the entire range of scientific, legal, and political variables in effect
Service	Helping stakeholders license and produce high-quality veterinary biological products for consumers
	Providing courteous, timely, and professional responses to colleagues, customers, and stakeholders
Fairness	Providing evenhanded, consistent treatment of colleagues, customers, and stakeholders, and focusing on solutions that provide maximum benefits to all parties
Open Communications	Seeking and valuing the opinions and concerns of colleagues, customers, and stakeholders
	Providing them with objective information and analysis in a professionally sensitive way
Dedication	Having a high level of commitment to the CVB team and the success of the program
Diversity	Seeking and appreciating contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, talents, and perspectives
	Maintaining a workplace that provides opportunities regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status or sexual orientation
	Maintaining a work environment that gives all employees a feeling of self-satisfaction, pride in their performance, and pride in their program
Innovation	Finding creative and practical solutions to difficult problems
	Developing new scientific techniques and applying existing techniques in new ways
Rewards	Consistently recognizing the contributions of individuals and teams
Safety and Health	Ensuring a safe and healthy work environment for all employees
	Meeting our environmental responsibilities to the larger community

CVB Goals for 2003

CVB managers and employees identified the following longterm goals and a tentative deadline of 2003 for achieving them.
1. Significantly refine, replace, and reduce animal testing of veterinary biologics.
2. Maximize the use of electronics in the receipt, transmission, processing, and storing of information.
3. Provide standard requirements for more products.
4. Document more policy/procedures for internal and external use and information.
5. Complete the development of a CVB organization, located in one facility.
6. Continually review and validate current standards, updating or eliminating where needed.
7. Explore new methods to monitor the performance and use of products in the field, implementing new programs as appropriate.
8. Lead in the development of international harmonization agreements to facilitate global trade in veterinary biological products.
9. Become an international center for veterinary biologics:

—maintain a highly qualified workforce;
—base CVB training on needs;
—acquire state-of-the-art technology and laboratory equipment;
—continually monitor and update core and noncore functions;
—increase use of internationally recognized quality assurance procedures throughout CVB and industry;
and
—anticipate and respond to application of new biologics technologies.

10. Continually monitor customer needs and provide highquality, timely service to stakeholders.
11. Increase the use of risk-based analysis in meeting the program mission.
12. Develop incentives for voluntary compliance among stakeholders.
13. Develop innovative methods to handle core activities.

Vision Statement

The Center plays a vital role in regulating products that diagnose, prevent, or treat animal diseases. The Center uses scientific information and regulatory processes to assure its customers that the veterinary biological products available for use are of high quality. It encourages open communication with stakeholders as new products and standards are developed. The Center promotes the use of quality assurance processes that inherently result in the production of pure, safe, potent, and effective veterinary biologics and diagnostics. It provides strong leadership in the development and international harmonization of standards for veterinary biological products.

Mission Statement

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Veterinary Biologics program implements the provisions of the Virus–Serum–Toxin Act to ensure that the veterinary biologics available for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of animal diseases are pure, safe, potent, and effective. The program, part of APHIS’ Veterinary Services unit, is based at the Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) in Ames, IA.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202) 720–5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No. 1633
Issued May 1998

Click here for printable version (PDF)