“The true legacy of PIG-PARADIGM lies not only in the scientific output it generates today, but in the collaborative model it provides for the next generation of research”
As PIG-PARADIGM enters its final phase, one of its most significant achievements may not be any single dataset, discovery, or technological advance. Instead, its lasting impact could lie in something more fundamental: creating a framework for genuine collaboration across disciplines.
For Professor Luca Guardabassi, One Health AMR expert at the University of Copenhagen and partner in the consortium's microbiome pillar, this evolution has been one of the most striking developments throughout the project.
"What I have noticed through the four years of the project is that it is gradually moving from multidisciplinary to interdisciplinary."
According to Guardabassi, many large research projects begin by bringing together specialists who work on the same overarching challenge but largely within the boundaries of their own disciplines. PIG-PARADIGM started in a similar way, with nutritionists, microbiologists, geneticists, and other experts contributing their respective expertise. Over time, however, something more integrated began to emerge.
"Whereas at the time of grant proposal writing, groups and principal investigators were proposing research based on their expertise and their scientific interests, I can see that now the questions are going across the pillars and across the disciplines."
This shift, he argues, represents one of the consortium's greatest strengths. Researchers are no longer simply contributing separate pieces of knowledge; they are increasingly addressing common questions together.
"There is actually very constructive discussion from people coming from different backgrounds, which I think is extremely good."
While such integration is highly rewarding, it does not happen automatically. Building a truly collaborative research environment requires time, trust, and a willingness to learn from one another.
"It is also extremely challenging because sometimes we have issues in understanding each other because we are specialists in different disciplines. Language and mutual trust are important. It's important to get to know each other."
For Guardabassi, this experience highlights an important lesson for future large-scale research initiatives. Developing transdisciplinary science cannot simply be achieved through grant applications alone. It requires established relationships and a shared understanding that develop over years of collaboration.
"You need a project like this to establish what are the common questions, what are the knowledges and expertise’s available within the project, and importantly, how to communicate across disciplines."
This is why he sees PIG-PARADIGM as more than a research project. It is a platform on which future collaborations can be built.
"I think it's a good foundation for future transdisciplinary projects."
The consortium has generated extensive datasets, collected valuable biological samples, and developed analytical approaches that can continue to support new research long after the current funding period ends. Yet Guardabassi believes the project's most valuable asset may be the network itself: the connections formed between scientists from different disciplines who have learned to tackle complex questions together.
"I hope there will be a future beyond PIG-PARADIGM."
Looking ahead, he envisions future initiatives that build on the knowledge, infrastructure, and collaborative culture established within the consortium. Whether supported through European funding programmes, new international collaborations, or follow-up grants, the foundations are already in place.
"This value that has been created through the Novo Nordisk Foundation can be exploited in the future."
PIG-PARADIGM has produced important advances in understanding animal health and production systems, while also creating a foundation that future projects can build upon to address broader public health questions.
As the consortium approaches its conclusion, Guardabassi sees PIG-PARADIGM as a successful demonstration of what can happen when researchers move beyond disciplinary boundaries. The project has shown that meaningful collaboration across fields is possible, even if it requires patience, communication, and a shared commitment to learning from one another.
For him, the true legacy of PIG-PARADIGM lies not only in the scientific output it generates today, but in the collaborative model it provides for the next generation of research.
"The disciplines work overlapping each other instead of working in silos."
And that may ultimately be one of the project's most important contributions to science.