This new agreement includes research into microbial solutions used in ruminant nutrition and health. Based on a common roadmap for five years, the APL will enable INRAE and Lallemand Animal Nutrition to pool their material and human resources around a co-designed research and technology programme. The partnership aims to accelerate the development of innovations with flexibility and adaptability.

The general objective of the APL is the study of the digestive microbiota of the ruminant and its interactions with microbial solutions developed by Lallemand and/or the APL, the characterisation of the modes of action of these solutions, the technological developments allowing this characterisation, and the isolation and screening of new microbial solutions for ruminant nutrition and health in the context of a changing environment and consumer concerns surrounding the sustainability of ruminant production and on food safety.

Frédérique Chaucheyras-Durand, research manager for Lallemand Animal Nutrition who leads the APL, said: "This new contract reinforces the collaboration between UMR MEDiS and Lallemand that started in 1992 and has led to significant contributions for both entities with more than 40 international peer-reviewed scientific publications, numerous communications at national and international conferences as well as one patent. Today, we have a team of four, full-time researchers and technicians based at INRAE, and we strive in this environment of excellence for ruminant microbiota research. This allows us to conduct research from the lab to the field and to access innovative tools such as molecular and OMICS approaches to decipher microbial interactions from genes to metabolites, as well as advanced in vitro digestion and fermentation models to mimic and better understand what happens in the digestive tract of ruminants."

Evelyne Forano, who has led the previous collaboration programmes between MEDIS and Lallemand Animal Nutrition, said: "I am pleased to see that the long-standing collaboration between LAN and MEDIS is continuing with the new APL agreement. The many years of joint work have led to numerous innovative scientific results and the identification of microbial markers of interest in ruminant nutrition. Many of our shared publications have been highly cited by the international scientific community. Additionally, several PhD students and many other interns at different levels, have been co-supervised as part of our collaboration.

"Moreover, several MEDIS researchers and technicians will participate in the new research program supported by the APL, and new trainees will continue to be supervised. The success of this long-standing collaboration between INRAE and Lallemand demonstrates the value of public-private partnerships in advancing scientific research and developing new solutions for sustainable animal production."