FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUR NUTZTIERBIOLOGIE

Their core work

FBN Dummerstorf is a German research institute dedicated to the biology of farm animals — cattle, pigs, and poultry. They study the genetics, nutrition, health, and welfare of livestock with the goal of making animal production more sustainable and efficient. Their work spans from molecular-level genomics and bioinformatics to on-farm research infrastructure, providing both fundamental biological insights and practical tools for the breeding and livestock industries. They also operate shared research facilities that serve the broader European livestock science community.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FBN's early H2020 work (2018–2019) centered on cattle biology — bovine genomics, feed efficiency, and cattle research infrastructure through SmartCow and BovReg. From 2021 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward pigs and poultry, with projects on sustainable pig production (PIGWEB) and monogastric gut health (MonoGutHealth), introducing microbiome and metabolome research as new competences. This represents a broadening from a cattle-genomics core toward multi-species livestock sustainability, with growing emphasis on gut biology and environmental impact reduction.

FBN is expanding from cattle genomics into multi-species livestock sustainability, with increasing focus on gut microbiome research and low-environmental-impact production systems.

How they like to work

FBN operates primarily as an active partner (3 of 4 projects), though they have demonstrated coordination capacity by leading BovReg, their largest funded project. With 41 unique consortium partners across 17 countries, they maintain a broad European network rather than relying on a small circle of repeat collaborators. This pattern suggests a well-connected institute that is comfortable in large, multi-national consortia and can step into leadership when the topic aligns with their core genomics expertise.

FBN has worked with 41 different partners across 17 countries, indicating a well-established and diverse European network. Their collaborations span from research infrastructure consortia to training networks, giving them connections across both academic institutions and applied livestock science organizations.

What sets them apart

FBN combines deep molecular expertise (genomics, bioinformatics, microbiome analysis) with hands-on livestock research facilities, making them a rare bridge between computational biology and on-farm animal science. Their dual presence in research infrastructure projects (SmartCow, PIGWEB) and data-intensive genomics (BovReg) means they can offer both physical experimental capacity and advanced analytical capabilities. For consortium builders in sustainable livestock, FBN brings a German research institute's rigor along with multi-species coverage across cattle, pigs, and poultry.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BovReg
  FBN's only coordinated project and their largest single grant (EUR 999,838), focused on identifying functional genomic features in cattle — a clear flagship for their genomics leadership.
• PIGWEB
  A research infrastructure project running until 2026, signaling FBN's long-term commitment to building shared European facilities for sustainable pig production.
• MonoGutHealth
  An MSCA training network that marks FBN's entry into microbiome and metabolome research, representing a methodological expansion beyond traditional genetics.