On 23–24 March 2026, Kaunas hosted a meeting of the partners of the international project NUTRIFEEDS (Nourishing Europe’s Future through Regenerative Livestock Feed), bringing together representatives from science, business and innovation around a shared goal – to develop innovative, sustainable and data-driven solutions for the livestock sector.
The meeting was organised and moderated by the team from the Kaunas University of Technology Artificial Intelligence Excellence Centre, which, in the project, is developing advanced, non-invasive animal monitoring systems based on artificial intelligence (AI). The meeting held in Kaunas was dedicated to discussing the project’s progress, outlining the next steps and aligning the partners’ actions for the upcoming stages.
The project aims to contribute to the development of a more resilient, circular and sustainable European livestock system by reducing dependence on imported protein feed, improving animal health and welfare, and strengthening farms’ resilience to future challenges.
Within the project, the KTU team is developing solutions covering the entire technology development chain – from data collection and sensor integration to the development of artificial intelligence models, system testing with end users, and the deployment of digital tools.
“The solutions being developed in the NUTRIFEEDS project reflect what the livestock sector needs most today – the ability to assess an animal’s condition quickly, accurately and non-invasively, and to make data-based decisions. It is important to us that AI-based solutions are not only technologically advanced, but also practically applicable in the day-to-day operations of farms,” says Prof. Dr Agnė Paulauskaitė-Tarasevičienė, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Excellence Centre at KTU.
According to her, for the KTU team – Prof. Dr Romas Gružauskas, Assoc. Prof. Dr Joris Vėžys and doctoral student Arnas Nakrošius – this meeting was important not only for strengthening the partnership, but also for discussing technical matters in greater depth.
“We devoted considerable attention to very specific technological questions – what data are needed to train the system, which sensors are worth choosing, how to ensure monitoring accuracy under real-life conditions, and what added value such solutions will create for farms,” she notes.
The system being developed will make it possible to monitor and analyse animal health, behaviour, welfare and environmental conditions in real time, without physical contact. The project focuses primarily on five monitoring areas: health status, environmental indicators, signs of stress, nutrition and access to resources, and animal welfare.
Such solutions will make it possible to detect signs of health disorders earlier, identify stress or behavioural changes, assess animal housing conditions more accurately, and make faster decisions related to animal welfare and farm management.
It is also important that the solutions being developed in the project are aimed not only at research in a controlled environment, but also at application under real farm conditions. For this reason, particular attention is being paid in the project to the reliability of the technologies, their practical applicability, and their value for end users.
Prof. Dr Jürgen Zentek, Director of the Institute of Animal Nutrition at the Department of Veterinary Medicine of Freie Universität Berlin, which coordinates the project, and an internationally recognised expert in animal nutrition and veterinary medicine, emphasises that only a strong and multifaceted partnership can create a tangible impact across the sector.
The project involves 15 partners from 11 European countries and 1 Asian country – universities, research centres and business representatives covering the entire value chain, from raw material processing and fermentation to on-farm trials, the development of digital solutions, and policy-making.
KTU’s participation in this consortium is significant not only for the university, but also for Lithuania. The NUTRIFEEDS project is one of the first large-scale Horizon Europe projects in the field of animal nutrition in which Lithuania is participating as a partner. This demonstrates the growing potential of the country’s science sector in international interdisciplinary initiatives and the strengthening competences of Lithuanian researchers in developing solutions for a more sustainable future for agriculture and food systems.
The NUTRIFEEDS project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme, Grant Agreement No. 101179992.
