McGill University and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) have teamed up to establish the Research and Innovation Chair in Animal Welfare and Artificial Intelligence (WELL-E). The five-year, five-million-dollar project will be funded by a grant from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Alliance and PROMPT, fiduciary of the Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Innovation, with participation from many companies in the dairy industry. The chair will focus on the use of artificial intelligence and the internet of things to detect changes in cow welfare and longevity before visible signs emerge. WELL-E's research will help Canadian dairy producers improve and extend the lives of their livestock, as well as address the economic, social and environmental sustainability of dairy farming.