Machine learning to further improve the decision which boar ejaculates to process into artificial insemination doses
In 2013, TKI Agri&Food has launched of a number of large Public-Private Partnerships (PPP’s) which make a significant contribution to the Innovation Agenda of the TKI. In order to monitor whether the deployment of resources is well spent, TKI Agri&Food will review and evaluate the eight largest PPP’s. Breed4Food is one of these.
The evaluation of the PPP’s serves two purposes:
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the use of public funds in the period 2013 to 2016.
- Contributing to substantiate a possible follow-up request.
Review procedure
Self-evaluation is the first part in the review process. This provides input for the independent evaluation committee. A meeting with de committee will be scheduled in May 2016, in which the self-assessment will be discussed and explained. The committee then draws up a report for the TKI. This report will be provided to Breed4Food, the TKI-board and review committee that evaluates the new Public-Private Partnership proposals for 2017.
Continued Funding
In order to ensure continuity of the Breed4Food program, a follow-up to the current funding is required, especially where it concerns Breed4Food basic research in the fields of genomics and quantitative genetics. For 2017, a reservation is already made by the TKI-Agri&Food board to run the Breed4Food program in that year. The TKI Agri&Food also aims to fund Breed4Food in the period 2018-2021, of course on the condition that the review is positively concluded.
Value of B4F
The value of the research results of Breed4Food is high, due to the development and application of genetic and genomic knowledge and tools. Much of this knowledge and tools have been already implemented in the R&D activities of the Breed4Food partners. This contributes to maintaining and expanding the global competitiveness of the partners, both in R&D and in commercial breeding.
Additionally, knowledge and tools are the basis to successful development of projects in other Breed4Food research themes. These themes are gaining in importance and size, partly due to the successful Breed4Food STW Partnership.
