The Centre for Dairy Science Innovation (CDSI) supportss agri-tech businesses, dairy producers and animal health innovators to develop, validate and scale next-generation dairy technologies within a highly monitored, research-led commercial dairy environment.
Based at the University of Nottingham, the facility combines expertise in dairy science, herd health, animal welfare and dairy nutrition, providing innovators with access to advanced infrastructure, precision monitoring systems and comprehensive lifetime animal data.
The CDSI houses a 340-cow dairy herd and supports studies with individually monitored, high-yielding dairy cows and heifers, enabling detailed evaluation of nutrition, health, welfare and production performance. A dedicated youngstock facility also allows researchers and innovators to monitor calves and heifers throughout their development using precision technologies for performance, behaviour and health tracking.
The facility supports innovation and commercial validation in areas including:
- Feed efficiency and nutrition technologies
- Herd health and mastitis control
- Antimicrobial resistance solutions
- Environmental emissions and sustainability
- Wearable livestock technologies and precision monitoring
- Lameness detection and welfare management
A wide range of sensing and automated monitoring systems enable detailed data capture and analysis, supporting the development of AI-driven tools, diagnostics and precision livestock technologies.
Specialist infrastructure includes:
- Nutritional research facilities
- Flexible housing systems
- Category 2 containment laboratories
- Dedicated calf and heifer research units
Working across biosciences, veterinary medicine and industry collaboration, the CDSI provides agri-tech innovators with a commercially relevant environment to test emerging technologies, generate robust performance data and accelerate adoption across the dairy sector.
In collaboration with:
This Capability is based at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington Campus.
The formation of CDSI sees a substantial investment in the dairy facilities at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington Campus, considerably expanding and redeveloping the existing research unit, creating internationally leading dairy science research facilities.
The CDSI brings together existing expertise in Dairy Science, Dairy Herd Health and Welfare and Dairy Food Science.
