Focus groups

Genetic diversity
 

The aims of this focus group are:

1. to better understand and preserve the genetic diversity of wild and domestic animal species
2. to develop methods and tools for sustainable breeding programs and genetic management of populations
3. to develop protocols for cryoconservation for implementation in animal species

Genomic prediction
 

The aims of this focus group are:

1. to develop methods and tools for genomic prediction, tailored to specific populations and traits
2. to optimise designs of reference populations and genomic breeding programmes
3. to investigate the impact of genomic selection

Sustainable breeding & Big data

The aims of this focus group are:

1. to explore collection of phenotypes
2. to evaluate designs of breeding programmes
3. to develop big data approaches and other statistical methods that contribute to a more sustainable animal husbandry and that work towards a result that can be applied in practice

International livestock
 

The aim of this focus group is to contribute to sustainable intensification of livestock production worldwide with expertise, research, education and capacity building. The focus is on sustainability and circularity of livestock systems and their contribution to food security.

Unravelling DNA &
biology

The aims of this focus group are:

1. to bridge the genotype-phenotype gap
2. to understand how genotypes result in phenotypes by making use of a wide variety of methods and tools like whole genome sequencing, DNA methylation, gene expression, microbiota and organoids.

Aqua breeding
 

New laboratory techniques
 

The aims of this focus group are:

1. to optimize existing laboratory protocols and introduce
2. to implement new laboratory techniques needed for all the other focus groups to perform innovative scientific research.