InoCrowd Challenge – Advanced and Predictive Monitoring of Animal Welfare in a Dairy Cattle Production Unit

OVERVIEW

The Seeker is looking for an advanced technological solution to enable continuous, objective, and predictive monitoring of animal welfare in dairy cattle production units. Current welfare assessment methods rely on periodic audits and isolated monitoring tools, which provide only partial and sporadic information.

The goal is to develop an integrated system capable of combining behavioural, biomechanical, physiological, environmental, and management data into a single intelligent platform. The solution should support 24/7 monitoring, generate automatic alerts, recommend corrective actions, and provide a clear dashboard for producers and veterinarians. The preferred approach is a Digital Twin of the dairy production unit, enabling the Seeker to move from a reactive model to a preventive and predictive one.

The Seeker is particularly interested in solvers with experience in artificial intelligence, computer vision, sensor integration, predictive analytics, livestock monitoring systems, and Digital Twin development.

Awards: Prize of €7,500 (paid in Euros). 

Deadline: Submissions due by 27^th of April 2026, 23:59 (London/Lisbon).
 

Solutions need to be created on the InoCrowd platform. The InoCrowd challenge page will include the terms on awards, IP rights, and solution handling: https://platform.inocrowd.com.pt/challenges/49369?utm_source=Innocentive

ABOUT THE SEEKER

The Seeker operates in the milk production sector and aims to strengthen animal welfare, milk quality, production efficiency, and sustainability through a robust digital solution.

About the Posting Partner:

InoCrowd, the platform managing this Challenge, specializes in generating ideas and solving problems through its interactive open innovation technological platform. With a global network of experts and solvers, InoCrowd accelerates and enhances innovation for companies investing in research and development (R&D).

Eligibility: Open to individuals, startups, companies, research centres, universities, and multidisciplinary teams with relevant expertise. Additional participation details will appear on the challenge page:

🔗 https://platform.inocrowd.com.pt/challenges/49369?utm_source=Innocentive

THE CHALLENGE

Animal welfare in dairy production units is still mainly assessed through audits and isolated technologies such as collars, cameras, and environmental sensors. These approaches do not provide a complete, continuous, or predictive understanding of animal health, welfare, and production conditions.

The Seeker is therefore looking for a solution that can integrate multiple data sources and identify early signs of stress, pain, disease, thermal discomfort, locomotor problems, and management irregularities.

The ideal solution should provide continuous monitoring, risk prediction, alerts, and actionable recommendations, while being suitable for pilot implementation in one production unit and scalable to around 1,000 production units across two European countries. 

Prototype implementation target: Last quarter of 2026
 

Solution Requirements

Your solution must:

• Monitor animal welfare indicators 24/7
• Integrate data from sensors, cameras, collars, and existing systems
• Provide dashboards per animal and per production unit
• Generate automatic alerts when abnormal conditions are detected
• Recommend corrective actions based on data and scientific evidence
• Include predictive capabilities for early risk detection

The Seeker will also value solutions that:

• Include advanced features such as locomotion analysis, heat stress analysis, rumination monitoring, social behaviour analysis, or calf adaptation
• Adapt to different farm layouts
• Integrate with existing commercial systems
• Demonstrate creativity and innovation

Solutions should also demonstrate data security, confidentiality, and auditability, together with a proof of concept or functional demonstration, a clear pilot plan, and practical applicability to the dairy sector.

YOUR SUBMISSION

Please include:

1. A clear description of the proposed solution and its architecture

2. The technical approach, including AI, sensor integration, computer vision, or other relevant technologies

3. How the solution performs monitoring, prediction, alert generation, and recommendations

4. A proof of concept, prototype, or other evidence of feasibility

5. A pilot and scale-up plan, including timing, resources, and milestones

6. Information on data security and compliance

7. Team experience and relevant case studies

8. Expected impact on animal welfare, milk quality, productivity, and sustainability

Visit the InoCrowd platform to login and create your solution: https://platform.inocrowd.com.pt/challenges/49369?utm_source=Innocentive

Submissions must be received by 27th April 2026 at 23:59 (Portugal Time).