BullNet-Sperm biology and associated reproductive biotechnologies to assist the dairy and beef industries meet growing demands

BullNet由8个受益者和13个相关伙伴组织组成，将建立一个跨学科和跨部门的研究计划，旨在揭开公牛生育能力受损的复杂基础生物学。Cutting-EdgeBasic、应用和机器学习方法将用于提供来自年轻、适当饲养和管理的第一季精种精液产品，这些精液产品可以成功地用于人工授精(AI)，并具有可预测和一致的受精率，从而为该行业提供关键工具，以满足当前的排放和动物福利需求。BullNet还将促进关于公牛管理策略和精液处理如何影响精子的功能和分子特征的知识的进步，从而为辅助生殖领域的新应用开辟科学视野。该方案的总体目标是在公牛生育领域培养新一代具有创造力、企业家精神和创新精神的博士生。BullNet将使区议会接触到不同的部门，他们将获得一套全面的可转让技能，这些技能将在与其个别研究项目相关的特定研究领域工作，重点是需要将技术从学术机构转移到商业用户。此外，由於涉及的学术和行业组织范围广泛，区议会将能够面对当前和未来的挑战，以便将知识和创意转化为产品和服务，从而造福于经济、技术和社会利益。

BullNet, consisting of 8 beneficiaries and 13 associated partner organisations, will build a multi-disciplinary and inter-sectorialresearch programme designed to unravel the complex underlying biology of compromised fertility of individual bulls. Cutting-edgebasic, applied and machine-learning approaches will be used to deliver a robust, flexible semen product from young, appropriatelyreared and managed, first-season elite sires that can be used successfully for artificial insemination (AI) with predictable andconsistent fertility, so as to provide the industry with key tools to meet current emissions and animal welfare demands. BullNet willalso lead to the advancement of knowledge in how bull management strategies and semen processing affect the functional andmolecular characteristics of sperm, thus opening scientific horizons for new applications in the area of assisted reproduction. Theoverall aim of this programme is to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative doctoral candidates (DCs) in thearea of bull fertility. BullNet will expose DCs to different sectors and they will acquire a comprehensive set of transferable skillsworking in the specific research area relating to their individual research projects, with an emphasis on the need for technologytransfer from academic institutions to commercial users. Moreover, given the wide range of academic and industry organisationsinvolved, the DCs will be able to face current and future challenges in order to convert knowledge and ideas into products andservices for economic, technological and societal benefit.