Martin Sutcliffe: "CIEL wants to add value to the aquaculture sector and these events provide the perfect opportunity to develop tangible, deliverable actions."

Aquaculture roadshows will help tailor research

UK innovation centre seeks to meet specific needs of nations

Editorial team
Published

Innovation in aquaculture will be the central focus of a series of roadshows planned by the UK government’s Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) this spring and summer.

Four workshops will be held between 20 April and 12 July - one in each UK nation – and are designed to help shape CIEL’s ambition to accelerate science and innovation within the aquaculture sector.

The first roadshow will be held between 9.30am and 3pm at Queen’s University Belfast, a week tomorrow.

That will be followed by a workshop at a yet-to-be-confirmed location in Wales on 11 May.

Inverness

Scotland’s workshop will be held in Inverness on 15 June, and the last roadshow will take place in London on 12 July.

CIEL’s aquaculture specialist, Martin Sutcliffe, said representatives from aquaculture businesses, government departments, and academic institutions are all invited to attend the workshop sessions.

“The workshops will be a chance to influence and accelerate innovation that will support sustainable growth and development of the industry,” said Sutcliffe.

“CIEL wants to add value to the aquaculture sector and these events provide the perfect opportunity to develop tangible, deliverable actions, based on the insight gained through these aquaculture innovation workshops.”

Strategic plan

CIEL director Phil Bicknell said the workshops will help CIEL develop a strategic plan tailored to the specific needs of each nation.

“We want to ensure that any research activity we do within aquaculture either complements or adds something new to help drive the productivity, profitability, and resilience of the agrifood sector,” said Bicknell.

“Informed by the discussion and information gathered during the roadshows, dedicated resource within CIEL will drive the development of projects, with CIEL aiming to build on its strong track record of public funding support from organisations such as Innovate UK and BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) to accelerate innovation in the aquaculture sector.”

CIEL is one of the UK’s four Agri-Tech Centres established as part of the government’s Agri-Tech Strategy.

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