The nationwide one-of-a-kind research center "Hohenheim Center for Livestock Microbiome Research" (HoLMiR) researches the interactions between livestock and the billions and billions of microorganisms that colonize the digestive tract in particular.
These are interactions that are key to a variety of issues in livestock production. For example, microorganisms have a significant influence on how animals behave, how susceptible they are to disease, whether they can make good use of scarce feed resources, and the extent to which they excrete environmentally critical substances. These include, for example, climate-relevant gases such as the methane produced by cattle.
The research center is divided into two modules: A laboratory building is used, for example, for genetic analyses of cell samples or to simulate bodily processes in artificial and real organs.
The second module allows studies on the complete organism and can accommodate up to 250 animals (cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry).
The joint science conference of the federal and state governments (GWK) decided in June 2018 to fund the HoLMiR project as a center of national importance according to Art. 91b GG with a total of 47 million euros for construction and large-scale equipment.
