Project description
A training network for livestock research
Animal husbandry is a significant sector of agriculture, and implementing the appropriate practices is central for managing livestock. The scope of the EU-funded MonoGutHealth project is to develop nutritional strategies involving bioactive ingredients capable of influencing perinatal development in monogastric animals. In particular, partners will take action to support optimal microbial colonisation of the gut and healthy body development in pigs and chickens, rendering them more resilient to pathogen challenges. The plan is to establish a network for training early-stage researchers and offering them the necessary skills to make improvements in the welfare and overall production efficiency of livestock.
Objective
The overall objective of MonoGutHealth is to provide an interdisciplinary, intersectoral and international training experience for ESR’s in an inspiring, novel and highly topical area of livestock research encompassing animal husbandry, social innovations and entrepreneurship. The 11 ESR projects will explore strategies employing nutritional and/or bioactive ingredients to influence perinatal development in monogastrics. The objective being to support optimal microbial colonisation of the gut and healthy body development in pigs and chickens. As a result, livestock will be more resilient to environmental and health challenges and ultimately the number of medicinal treatments will be reduced. MonoGutHealth will contribute to improvements in welfare and in the overall production efficiency of livestock production. Specifically, ESR projects will explore the efficiency of innovative feeding strategies prior to birth and/or during the early neonatal periods to improve the development of the gastrointestinal tract [GIT] and its microbiome and to enhance resilience to pathogen challenges. This will be achieved through intersectoral and synergistic collaborations between industry partners, academic and non-academic beneficiaries to generate innovative tools for more resilient livestock. At the end of this ETN, we will have provided in-depth training in scientific and soft skills for a new ‘breed’ of researchers who can seamlessly cross the traditional discipline boundaries and identify and implement the most appropriate tools required to comprehensively answer pressing current and future challenges in science and/or industry.
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Coordinator
3003 Bern
Switzerland