The University of Arkansas System Division of Agricutlure and Adisseo, a France-based animal nutrition company, have established a collaborative partnership to advance agricultural poultry nutrition research.
A memorandum of understanding, signed Oct. 18 by Mark Cochran, vice president-agriculture for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, and Stefan Jakob, director of Research and Development in Nutrition and Animal Health at Adisseo, establishes an endowed professorship in the division’s department of poultry science, Cochran said.
The MOA and endowment were signed at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences on the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Jakob said the professorship will provide leadership in poultry nutrition and promote further development of sustainable poultry nutrition strategies. “It will simplify the exchange between academic research and industry application,” he said.
“The University of Arkansas is pleased to be establishing a close collaboration with Adisseo,” Cochran said. “We are convinced that this partnership will be highly beneficial for academic research and its translation into industry application.”
“This agreement will further contribute to the leadership of the Division of Agriculture and Adisseo in this field,” Cochran said. “Moreover, the signature of this memorandum of understanding is an important milestone for strengthening the relationship between research and agricultural applications.”
Jakob said, “Adisseo is very proud to work closely with the division, a world renowned research center in poultry science. This is an important part of Adisseo’s efforts as a world leader in nutritional and feed solutions, with a special focus on ways to sustainably feed the planet.”
Mike Kidd, head of the poultry science department, said, “Numerous faculty have expressed a desire to strengthen research synergies at both the fundamental and industry application levels.”
Kidd said the endowed faculty position and collaborative research will focus on poultry nutrition.
The Division of Agriculture and Adisseo celebrated with a gathering that brought together faculty and students from the U of A’s Center of Excellence for Poultry Science with researchers, scientists and technical staff from Adisseo.
Once the endowed professorship position is filled, ongoing research at both institutions will be developed together and strengthened with broader projects, Jakob said.