Videos highlight aquaculture innovation

The six videos from the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) feature the perspectives of a range of contributors, and show SAIC's work as a link between industry and academia.

In one of the short films, Stuart Fancey, director of research and innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, champions the relationship between innovation and the future competitiveness of Scotland.

Clarity of purpose

In his video, Fancey says: “The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre has been remarkable in its clarity of purpose, led by the industry itself directing the academic community exactly towards the projects and the challenges that it needs to be addressed.

"It is utterly thrilling for my colleagues at the Funding Council and enterprise agencies to see the way that Scottish industry – the aquaculture industry foremost amongst them – is working closely with colleagues in the academic sectors, both universities and colleges.

“It’s really exciting to see not just ideas being turned into commercial answers and opportunities, but also to see the way that the industry is working with the academic community to develop its own future skills needs.”

Collaboration

Elaine Jamieson, head of food and drink at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), reflects on HIE’s recent collaboration with SAIC on ‘Accelerating Aquaculture Innovation’ – the new £1m match-funding programme to help small to medium enterprises (SMEs) commercialise new supply chain innovations.

The video case study campaign also features the views of three such Scottish SMEs, with contributions from Alban Denton, managing director of Sutherland and Hebrides salmon farmer Loch Duart; Michael Tait, chairman of the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group; and Tom Ashton, operations director at aquaculture genetics support company Xelect.

Herve Migaud, director of research at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, adds an academic perspective.

Ongoing conversations

SAIC chief executive Heather Jones said: “Regular conversation with our industry-academic partners and key stakeholders is essential to ensuring that SAIC is adding value where the sector needs it most.

"These videos are an extension of those ongoing conversations, providing a snapshot of where we’re getting it right, while also inspiring ideas for what more we could do to be of support to the sector. We’re always listening, always responding.”

The videos, produced and directed by Rare Bird Media in Edinburgh in partnership with Garland PR, are available to view at SAIC’s YouTube channel, and are being promoted across a week-long social media campaign.

More video case studies are already in production and will be released in early 2018.