Tunisian researchers from the University of Carthage have won the 2026 EAAP and Animal Science Cases competition for a genomic prediction case study on climate resilience in livestock.
The European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) and Animal Science Cases have announced the winners of the 2026 case study writing competition at the 77th EAAP Annual Meeting in Hamburg, Germany.
The winning authors are Dr. Ikram Ben Souf and Dr. Naceur M’Hamdi, both of the Laboratory of Animal, Genetic and Feed Resources (LRGAA), National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, University of Carthage, Tunisia.
Their winning case study is titled “Geometry-Aware Genomic Prediction of Climate Resilience in Livestock Using Riemannian Graph Attention Networks.”
When the competition was launched, entrants were invited to submit case studies reflecting current challenges, innovations and teaching opportunities in animal science. Judges said the combination of innovation and relevance made the Tunisian entry stand out.
“The case study introduces a fundamentally new type of genomic analysis intended to move beyond traditional genetic prediction methods,” said Jess Oliver, Commissioning Editor, CABI Cases. “The judges were impressed by the genuine novelty of the work and felt this gave the case study a level of impact and innovation that clearly set it apart from the other entries.”
The authors applied the approach across two distinct datasets, a strength judges said demonstrated practical versatility rather than a purely theoretical exercise. The entry also scored highly for its relevance to current and future challenges in livestock genomics, particularly around climate resilience.
Judges praised the learning outcomes as clearly and thoughtfully structured, making them educationally valuable. They noted the outcomes included practical, ethical and data governance considerations alongside technical content, adding to the case study’s originality.
Overall, judges commended the work for its strong contribution to animal science education and innovation.
The author team received a £500 prize, presented to Dr. M’Hamdi by Jess Oliver. The case study is expected to be published alongside previous winning entries. Organizers thanked all authors for their entries this year, some of which will also be published in Animal Science Cases.
The University of Carthage is a member of the Centre National Universitaire de Documentation Scientifique et Technique (CNUDST) consortium, which has an open access agreement with CABI. Under the agreement, researchers affiliated with a CNUDST member institution have read access to CABI Cases and can submit to CABI journals free of charge.
About Animal Science Cases
Animal Science Cases is a curated collection of real examples of animal science in practice, applying principles of the biological, physical and social sciences to problems associated with livestock production and management. It covers animal physiology, biotechnology and genetics, livestock production and animal agriculture, nutrition, and animal health and disease. The educational and practical case studies are designed as a resource for students, teachers, academics, public stakeholders and industry practitioners.
TunisianMonitorNews
