CENTRE INTERREGIONAL D'INFORMATION ET DE RECHERCHE EN PRODUCTION OVINELE MOURIER

Their core work

CIIRPO is a French interregional center dedicated to applied research and knowledge transfer in sheep production. Based in the Limousin region — one of France's heartlands for sheep farming — the organization bridges the gap between academic research and on-farm practice for the ovine sector. Their H2020 involvement shows a clear focus on improving small ruminant breeding, welfare, and farm-level adoption of precision livestock farming technologies. They contribute real-world sheep production expertise and farm network access to European research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CIIRPO's early H2020 involvement (2018) centered on the biological and genetic foundations of sheep production — genomic selection, predictive biology, and understanding trade-offs between feed efficiency, health, and welfare. By 2020-2021, their focus shifted decisively toward digital technology and precision livestock farming for small ruminants. This mirrors a broader industry trend: once breeding and genetics tools matured, the sector moved toward on-farm digital monitoring and data-driven management.

CIIRPO is moving from biological research support toward digital farming technology adoption for small ruminants — expect growing interest in sensor systems, data platforms, and smart farming tools for sheep and goat operations.

How they like to work

CIIRPO participates exclusively as a third party (linked to a direct beneficiary), which means they contribute specific expertise or farm-network access without carrying administrative project management burden. Despite only three projects, they have connected with 56 partners across 17 countries, indicating involvement in large, well-funded European consortia. This pattern suggests they are valued for their practical, on-the-ground sheep production knowledge rather than for project leadership or coordination capacity.

Through three large consortia, CIIRPO has collaborated with 56 unique partners across 17 countries, giving them a surprisingly broad European network for a regionally rooted organization. Their connections span the small ruminant research and farming community across Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe.

What sets them apart

CIIRPO occupies a distinctive niche as a practice-oriented sheep production center embedded in one of France's most important sheep-farming regions. Unlike university labs that study small ruminants theoretically, CIIRPO connects research to actual farming operations and producer networks. For any consortium needing real-world validation of sheep or goat technologies with French farmer communities, CIIRPO offers access that academic partners cannot easily replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SMARTER
  A five-year project (2018-2023) tackling the full complexity of small ruminant breeding — from genomic selection to predictive biology — representing CIIRPO's deepest research involvement.
• SmaRT
  Directly focused on precision livestock farming for small ruminants, signaling CIIRPO's strategic move into digital farming technology and their most forward-looking project participation.