£860,000 boost for Scottish aquaculture research
Seven projects funded by innovation centre and commercial partners
Projects focused on gill health in Atlantic salmon, parasite management, cleaner fish health and welfare, and managing or preventing disease through immunisation and vaccinations are among seven that will benefit from funding from the Scotland’s Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC).
With a combined total value of more than £860,000, the funded research and development (R&D) projects have secured over £300,000 from SAIC with additional support being provided by commercial partners. Research will kick off in early January, or before, with each group targeting a summer completion date.
A number of the projects selected for funding are extensions of previous research supported by SAIC, with teams applying for a funding boost to take concepts to the next stage.
100 projects
Earlier this year, SAIC announced it had reached the milestone of 100 funded aquaculture innovation projects, with the combined value of the work to date reaching nearly £71 million and involving 92 project partners from academia and the sector.
SAIC chief executive Heather Jones said: “Continued improvements in finfish health will underpin the sector’s sustainable future, make a big difference to the survivability and wellbeing of fish, and help seafood producers to provide a nutritious protein source that will feed generations to come.
“We are pleased to be supporting further collaboration that could see a range of research concepts translated into a commercial reality. Scotland has a great deal of expertise and experience in aquaculture and in connecting those with our world-class research institutions, we can make positive changes to ways of working across the sector that can pave the way for a more environmentally friendly and economically impactful future for finfish farming.”
Application rejected
Last month the Scottish Government told Fish Farming Expert that it was looking at alternative funding for SAIC after the quango was unsuccessful in its application for renewed funding from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
SAIC received an £11.1 million funding package from the SFC in 2014 for its first five-year phase. In 2019, it received £10m provided by the SFC, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) – all part of the Scottish Government - to fund it until July 2024.
After news of the SFC’s decision became public, a SAIC spokesperson told Fish Farming Expert: “It is business as usual for SAIC and we are confident of a bright future delivering for the sector.”
