New EU-funded project set to improve the competitiveness of the Austrian and Hungarian poultry industries
The poultry industry in both Austria and Hungary is set to be given a boost, thanks to a new EU-funded project. The aim is to establish a knowledge centre to foster the activities of businesses in the border region, to improve their efficiency and ensure the production of safe poultry products, which will help both countries face up to the challenges the industry is facing. The project, which will last for 3 years, is titled Centre of Excellence for Poultry (CEPO) and received EUR 820,000 in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The two research institutions involved are the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in Austria and the University of Pannonia in Hungary. The central objectives of the collaboration are to come together and coordinate on common research and consultation activities, as well as help poultry producers improve food safety. By doing this they hope to establish a knowledge base covering several areas of poultry nutrition and poultry health that will provide scientific results for practical use. Both institutions involved in the project have gained an international reputation for their experience in the poultry nutrition and poultry health fields. By pooling this expertise, they plan to incorporate all the new findings into their existing syllabi. Students, researchers and technical staff will also have the chance to participate in research activity exchanges at the other institution. The main areas of focus will be animal nutrition, animal breeding and food safety. Under the auspices of the project, various seminars and events will be organised to foster links with the wider poultry industry community, including both decision makers and the poultry producers themselves. It is vital that over the course of the three years the researchers maintain close contact with the key players in the industry. The main tool for disseminating the latest information about the project will be an interactive website that has just been launched by the team. Annual poultry nutrition workshops will also be held as part of the project, with the participation of a wide range of regional actors from the poultry industry. It is at these events where the latest results from the poultry research field will be disseminated and discussed. The ERDF aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the EU by correcting imbalances between its regions. One of the ERDF's main aims is to foster regional competitiveness and employment. By strengthening regional capacities for research and technological development, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship and strengthening financial engineering, grants from the ERDF aim to contribute to the construction of an innovation and knowledge-based economy.For more information, please visit:University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna:http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/Centre of Excellence for Poultry (CEPO):www.cepofocus.eu
Countries
Austria, Hungary