Partners in Research: Feed Design Lab

Feed Design Lab has three primary activities:

• renting out the plant for research
• providing training
• developing projects

Feed Design Lab is unique in this, nowhere else in Europe you will find that research, training and trials in feed production take place within the same feed research institute.

Partner network

Several activities, including workshops, innovation, and knowledge sessions, take place per year, all exclusively for the research partners. Partner companies constitute the foundations of Feed Design Lab. In return for an annual contribution from its partners, Feed Design Lab initiates promising projects, organizes networking meetings on topics of interest and runs the research and education center. Partners decide for themselves what to focus on and how to use the facilities offered by Feed Design Lab, either working with others on a joint project or conducting their own confidential tests with protected IP. Feed Design Lab advises its partner companies on trial design, training course development, test execution and follow-up of test results.

Training and Education

Feed Design Lab organizes open-registration training programs and devises tailor-made courses based on specific customer requirements. Hands-on practice plays a key role in every course: “learning by doing” is of paramount importance. Feed Design Lab offers training courses in the area of feed production and process technology. Feed Design Lab organizes open-registration training programs for both new and experienced employees and devise tailor-made courses based on specific customer requirements. Hands-on practice in their test plant plays a key role in every course: “learning by doing” is of paramount importance.

Projects

For the Feed Design Lab partner companies, they develop projects that contribute to the goal of achieving a sustainable animal protein chain. The focus here is on health, new technology and the use of new raw materials. The Feed Design Lab test plant can be used for technological testing, demonstrations and production of test or trial feeds. The test plant is similar to a modern compound feed plant, but on a smaller scale. Plus it is modular in design: all parts of the plant can be used separately. This means we can conduct tests using either a single part or the whole line.