French meat industries are facing major challenges related to workforce attractiveness, reduction of physically demanding tasks, food safety and digital transformation. In this context, French Technical Agro-Industrial Institutes (ITAI) play a key role in bridging industrial needs and academic research in order to facilitate the development and transfer of adapted solutions. Created in 2024 for a five-year period, the UMT IMERVIAnde (Mechatronics, Ergonomics, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence Innovations for Meat Industries) brings together ADIV, Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont Auvergne INP, Institut Pascal and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Gourmand around a common objective: supporting the transformation of French meat industries through the development of methods and tools combining virtual reality, artificial intelligence, mechatronics, collaborative robotics and ergonomics. This paper presents the first developments achieved between 2024 and 2025, including immersive training tools dedicated to meat professions, artificial intelligence approaches for the detection of contamination on bovine carcasses in slaughterhouses, as well as studies preparing future operator assistance systems. Future developments are also discussed through the emerging concept of the "Slaughterhouse of the Future".