£1m boost for aquaculture supply chain innovation

A £1 million pilot programme to boost innovation in aquaculture in the Highlands and Islands is set to go ahead.

A PhD student undertaking a project in shellfish aquaculture has won the Lantra Learner of the Year Award for Higher Education, a category supported by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC).

A new report on the innovation needs of the Scottish aquaculture sector was launched today at the first meeting of the Industry Leadership Group (ILG) in Inverness, attended by Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity.

An international partnership met in Reykjavík today to scope out a new Aquaculture Innovation Network for the Northern Periphery and Arctic (AINNPA) aimed at improving innovation support for remotely located aquaculture businesses and, in turn, enabling demand-driven products and services.

SAIC Scholars Connect Plus is back for a third academic year, with up to 25 funded MSc places available to Scottish and EU students in 2017/18, as well as a host of career-oriented activities.

A new aquaculture-specific training course has launched, aimed at equipping first-time managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to be effective team leaders.

A scoping study into the concept of a centre of innovation excellence for Scottish aquaculture has found industry-wide support for the initiative.

The drive to reduce sea lice and increase harvests of Scottish salmon has received a £1.76m boost, following a successful application to the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

Innovation centres created by the Scottish Funding Council are safely on track to deliver economic benefit by driving collaboration between business and universities, a new report shows.

Trials to get mussels to spawn in a hatchery environment are now underway at the NAFC Marine Centre at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).