Australia’s blue economy will get a boost from AUS 329 million (USD 227.4 million, EUR 204.3 million) in research project funding, according to a media release from the University of Queensland (UQ).
The funding will support seafood, renewable energy, and offshore engineering projects, which will be implemented by a team of UQ researchers and 40 other organizations to form a new cooperative research center (CRC).
The CRC brings together experts and personnel in the seafood, renewable energy, and offshore engineering field. The center will also bring in 50 postdoctoral fellowships, as well as 50 Ph.D. scholarships spread across five different research areas.
The CRC will be focusing on five distinct research areas include offshore engineering and technology, seafood and marine products, marine renewable energy, environment and ecosystems, and governance, policy, business development, and communication.
Offshore Engineering Program Leader and UQ researcher Professor Chien Ming Wang stated in a press release that the CRC’s work would be delivered over 10 years.
“Australia has some of the world’s best wind, wave and tidal resources, which have enormous potential to deliver energy to support offshore operations, such as fish farms, and exportable renewable energy,” Wang said.
The funding will also be supporting research and development of infrastructure designed to cope with the offshore environment and ensures that such endeavors will be commercially viable.
UQ will help with the fish cage designs for offshore fish farming to meet the potential of developing aquaculture in ocean space.
“Fish-farm operators worldwide are moving their farms offshore to take advantage of larger sea space and better water quality to produce healthier fish for a better seafood industry,” Wang said.
The CRC headquarters is located at the University of Tasmania’s Launceston campus.
