The current pandemic has confirmed what scientists have long known. Accelerating the pace of research and knowledge acquisition on high-risk pathogens – highly infectious, highly pathogenic or both – is fundamental to our security. Uncontrolled infectious disease outbreaks have a global impact on lives, livelihoods, economies and healthcare systems. Understanding the workings of these pathogens is critical to prevention and containment of disease spread. However, exactly because these pathogens are high risk, they must be studied in specialised high-containment facilities, of which there are a relatively limited number globally. The EU-funded VetBioNet project has established a multidisciplinary network to reinforce cooperation among Europe’s leading high-containment animal facilities, enhance technical capacities and services and offer free-of-charge access.