‘Ripple effect’ of £17.9m investment in innovation projects
THE Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has facilitated 16 collaborative projects with a combined investment of £17.9 million since it was set up in 2014.
This amounts to £3.60 generated for every £1 of public money, said SAIC CEO Heather Jones, unveiling the organisation’s progress report - Innovation and the Ripple Effect.
SAIC’s role, she said, is to connect the companies who farm Scotland’s seas with the country’s excellent universities – accelerating innovation, strengthening national food security and supporting environmental stewardship.
SAIC, which has an initial fiveyear remit, has recently been preparing its case for a second term. In its report, SAIC said: ‘With the support of industry and academia, we’re well on track to deliver our five-year targets.’
These include 668 industry engagements, 100 applied research MSc projects, 35 co-funded projects, and 110 industry ready graduates.
The SAIC sponsored initiatives undertaken so far include scaling up the use of cleaner fish; improving cleaner fish vaccination; establishing a sustainable supply of lumpsuckers; enhancing the health and welfare of lumpsuckers; exploring ultrasound technology for delousing; and developing feeds that optimise fish health and nutrition.
More projects are in the pipeline for 2018, focusing on gill health, improving disease resistance, and developing better modelling to benefit both the industry and regulators.
The report can be found at www.scottishaquaculture.com