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Harnessing Information Technologies for Heat Resilient Sheep Breeding

Objective

Sheep farming is a cornerstone of food security, rural livelihoods, and cultural heritage, yet it is increasingly threatened by climate change. Rising temperatures and increased frequency of hot weather extreme events risks fertility, milk and meat yield and quality, and survival rates, pushing herds and farmers toward economic collapse. Current mitigation, if any, relies on costly infrastructure that is neither sustainable nor widely accessible. SheepHeatIT project proposes a breakthrough, multi-player international research-driven strategy: breeding sheep with enhanced resilience to heat stress while safeguarding productivity, biodiversity, and farmer income. We will develop rapid, low-cost phenotyping tools and integrate them with high-throughput genotyping to build multi-breed datasets across diverse regions (~18,000 animals, 24 breeds, and 8 regions). We will uncover the physiological, molecular, and genetic mechanisms involved in heat response by applying advanced multi-omics approaches. These insights will enable adding newly discovered SNPs to existing chips to guide breeding programs aiming to increase herd heat resistance score (hHRS). This strategy will be supported by exploring genome editing for higher heat resilience by targeting potential alleles. Outcomes will raise hHRS, reduce the risk of agricultural collapse, and deliver a long-term, climate-ready future for sheep farming worldwide. The research will ensure conservation of local breeds, secure animal welfare and promise better sustainability. Outcomes will include a new SNP-based selection index, practical breeding guidelines, and an open-access Information Technology Centre Platform hosting data, tools, and protocols.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2025-02

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Coordinator

THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION OF ISRAEL - THE VOLCANI CENTRE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 710 125,00
Address
Derech Hamcabim 68
50250 Bet Dagan
Israel

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Activity type
Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments)
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (15)

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