Contract research organization (CRO) for animal nutrition and health

A private, independent research centre specialised in the agri-food sector. Founded in 2000, it has 45 people today, including more than 35 technicians and PhDs in agronomy, veterinary science, food technology, chemistry and statistics.

Yes. IMASDE works as an independent CRO for animal nutrition and health: we design the protocol, run the animal phase in our own swine and poultry units or under commercial conditions at the client's facilities, analyse the data and write the final report.

Animal and plant nutrition and health companies, feed manufacturers, food processors, livestock integrators, genetics companies, premix manufacturers, artificial intelligence companies, the fishing industry and technology companies serving the agri-food sector.

Yes. IMASDE holds the Innovative SME label granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and applies Good Clinical Practice (GCP) in its animal research centres.

In vitro and in vivo trials. In vivo work can start with pilot trials to confirm the most effective dose, the type of benefit for the animals or the best age to act. Larger trials with more animals follow once the product's parameters are better defined. Finally, the study can be scaled up to industrial level at the client's own facilities to confirm efficacy under real conditions.

Nutritional products that aim to improve animal performance, gut health, animal welfare, batch uniformity or slaughter yield, among others.

Pharmaceutical products such as vaccines in their final registration and evaluation phase, assessing clinical signs, adverse side effects and more.

Mainly farm animals: pigs, broilers, laying hens, dairy cattle and small ruminants (sheep and goats). Other, more minor species such as fish and pets (dogs and cats) also take part in some trials.

A challenge model alters optimal production conditions to simulate real-life conditions. There are nutritional, environmental, microbiological and social challenges, among others.

IMASDE has experience with all of them. We study the positive effect that additives, medicines or nutritional strategies can have on controlling or mitigating these challenges.

Yes. Many of the trials monitored by IMASDE are intended for the registration of feed additives in the European Union. They can also be used for approval by the US FDA.

What matters is not the total number of animals in the trial but the number of experimental units (replicates). Defining the experimental unit correctly is key to the statistical analysis.

The statistical techniques used at IMASDE can analyse any type of data from different settings. What matters is to be clear about the variables under study and to avoid biases that could distort the conclusions.

Yes. IMASDE runs meta-analyses of data from different sources, which clearly increase the statistical power of the analysis.

Rigorous statistical analysis turns data into practical information for decision-making. For example: does this additive work under my production conditions? How does the weather affect feed intake? Should I vaccinate against this disease? Do farms with high biosecurity have a lower historical use of medicines?

The decisions that follow from these answers can save companies many thousands of euros, and the analyses can be part of funded R&D projects.

Send us the species, the product, the claim you want to support and your expected timeline through the contact form. We reply within 48 hours (business days) and then prepare a draft protocol and a quote.

Yes. Besides our own experimental units, studies can be scaled up to commercial farms or to the client's own facilities to confirm efficacy under real production conditions.

Yes. We can sign a confidentiality agreement (NDA) before you share any details of your product, formulation or development plans.

In English and Spanish. Protocols, interim updates and final reports can be delivered in English.

Yes. Our animal research centres apply Good Clinical Practice (GCP): written protocols approved before the study starts, randomised allocation of treatments, traceable records and a statistical analysis plan defined in advance.

For most zootechnical additives, EFSA's FEEDAP guidance asks for at least three in vivo efficacy studies per target species or category showing a significant effect at the minimum recommended dose. We plan the trial programme with that requirement in mind from the first protocol.

Studies that qualify as animal experimentation are carried out with the approval of the animal ethics committee and the authorisation of the competent authority, as required by Spanish Royal Decree 53/2013, which transposes Directive 2010/63/EU.

Yes. Our statistics team writes the efficacy sections of EFSA dossiers and the technical reports that support them, based on the trials we run or on studies carried out elsewhere.

Yes. IMASDE regularly takes part in funded R&D projects and can join a Horizon Europe, LIFE or Eureka consortium as the partner in charge of animal trials, statistics and dissemination.

Mainly Horizon Europe (especially Cluster 6: food, bioeconomy, agriculture and environment), the LIFE Programme, Eureka (Eurostars and Network projects) and the EIC Accelerator.

Both. We help from the choice of call and the consortium to the proposal and, once the project is funded, with reporting, deliverables, financial statements and the dissemination of results.

Yes. We help prepare the short proposal, the full proposal and the interview with the jury, and design the trials that provide the evidence the innovation needs.