The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Cluster (SAIC), based in Inverness, Scotland, has appointed its first sector advisory committee as the organization seeks to ensure future research and development funding better reflect the priorities of Scotland's evolving aquaculture industry.
The 15-member committee brings together representatives from finfish, shellfish, seaweed, fish health, academia, equipment supply, feed, and regulation, hailing from such organizations as Otter Ferry Seafish, Cooke Aquaculture, Loch Duart, Bakkafrost Scotland, Seaweed Scotland, the British Trout Association, Salmon Scotland, The Fishmongers' Company, BioMar, AquaGen Scotland, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
According to SAIC, the move marks another step in its transition into a self-sufficient innovation cluster following its decision to become independent from the University of Stirling earlier this year.
“The sector advisory committee won't review individual applications but, instead, provide strategic direction and broad guidance on the themes, opportunities, and challenges the aquaculture community is facing, which we will use to determine priority areas for R&D,” SAIC Principal Officer Sarah Riddle told SeafoodSource. "SAIC has always supported shellfish, seaweed, and environmental projects, as well as multiple finfish species, even before we transitioned into this next phase. But now, we are trying to emphasize this more as we aim to reflect the needs and requirements of the entire aquaculture sector."
The cluster maintains that innovation is central to Scotland's ambitions for sustainable aquaculture growth, with the sector contributing an estimated GBP 468 million (USD 629.9 million, EUR 546.3 million) annually in gross value added to the nation’s economy.
Since its establishment in 2013, SAIC has invested GBP 10.8 million (USD 14.5 million, EUR 12.6 million) in collaborative R&D projects, leveraging an additional GBP 70.6 million (USD 95 million, EUR 82.4 million) in external funding, which includes GBP 1.4 million (USD 1.9 million, EUR 1.6 million) in annual funding from Crown Estate Scotland for a five-year period.
Seeking new funding avenues, SAIC recently launched another funding call, which attracted what the organization described as an unprecedented level of expressions of interest from across the sector.
SAIC Chair Rob Wilson said the response demonstrated a “real appetite” for collaborative R&D across the industry.
“The caliber of the people who have joined the sector advisory committee gives us even greater confidence in SAIC’s future direction,” he said. “Together, they bring an exceptional breadth and depth of experience, as well as valuable insight from across the sector.”
He added that the recently appointed committee’s collective knowledge would help ensure SAIC supports projects capable of delivering meaningful impact for producers, the supply chain, and Scotland's wider aquaculture community.
