The new programme will focus on the handling, behaviour and welfare of animals. The goal of the project was to provide answers to the many problems confronting the poultry industry, both in the Basque Country, as well as at a (Spanish) state level, given that Spain is one of the countries in the forefront of the EU in this type of productive activity.

Moreover, with this line of research, the knowledge necessary to establish innovative systems of poultry production capable of incorporating animal health and welfare will be generated, and with profitable and sustainable results.

Dr Inma Estévez, having recently joined the Neiker-Tecnalia research institute, will be in charge of this project, first of its kind undertaken in the Spanish State. After 12 years as researcher and lecturer at the University of Maryland in the USA, Dr Estévez has come to the Basque Country through the Ikerbasque programme, a platform created for attracting scientists with solid research careers.

Having recognised international prestige in the field of poultry research, Dr Estévez has won a number of awards for her work in the United States, where she has worked and collaborated with the most important companies in the sector.