QGG participates in a large EU project on future genomic management tools for European cattle production
Researchers from Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics at the Department for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University in Foulum, are participating in the GenTORE project, launched in Paris 22 – 23 June.
GenTORE is an EU financed research project for a period of 5 years under the Horizon 2020 frame programme. The project’s objective is to develop innovative, genomic management tools to optimise resilience and efficiency in European cattle production. The GenTORE project is organised as a consortium with 21 European research institutions and collaborators from the industry, with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) heading the project.
In an era with increasing, global challenges such as climate change, competition and focus on food security, the project’s objective is to develop tools for the management of genomic selection and the optimisation of cattle resilience and efficiency within meat and milk production in widely different varying environments. A main objective is to make the genomic management tools available to local farmers for the adaptation of their cattle production in their specific region.
Centre director, professor Mogens Sandø Lund from Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics in Foulum is heading sub-project 4. The objective of sub-project 4 is to develop genomic indexes for the selection for resilience and efficiency in cattle. This will be carried out based on data from sub-projects 1, 2 and 3, which are to develop database and management tools for the integration of geographical, physical and socio-economic data that will identify the present and future challenges which European cattle production is facing. These genomic indexes developed by sub-project 4 will subsequently be essential for sub-project 5 and 6’ development of management indexes and predictive modeling tools.
The total EU grant amount for the GenTORE project is 7 million EUR, which will be allocated proportionally between the 21 stakeholders. Together with French INRA and Wageningen Bioveterinary Research in the Netherlands, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics in Foulum is among the three major grantees.
VikingGenetics Denmark, and industrial partner and company owned by farmers, is also participating in GenTORE.
The extensive GenTORE project was launched with a kick-off meeting in Paris 22 – 23 June.