Smart Circular Aquaculture Partnership Launched!
On behalf of EATiP, our Mirror Platforms and the Hauts de France region, EATiP and Pole Aquimer have attended the launch of the Thematic Smart Specialisation Platform (TSSP) for Smart Circular Aquaculture at the S3 Forum in Barcelona.
Aquaculture has been identified as one of the highlighted areas in the S3 Thematic Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy. The partnership has particular ambitions to contribute to the blue economy targets related to:
- Energy transition in the aquaculture sector: introduction of renewable energy sources, more efficient use of energy, less energy-demanding feed resources
- More efficient use of water & space: RAS technologies, aquaponics, site optimisation with respect to ecosystem hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry and to other uses of the marine space, monitoring and management tools for precision farming
- Fighting scarcity of feed ingredients: resource-efficient novel feeds e.g. SCP, algae, insects, marine invertebrates
- Better use of side streams, promoting circular production systems: recovering and utilising by-products from processing plants: fish, shellfish; from RAS/closed systems: sludge, effluents; exploring business model for IMTA and aquaponics
- More targeted and skilled human capacity: training of existing staff and educating new candidates to enable the needed transitions in aquaculture
Further details on the platform are available here.
The EATiP General Secretary introduces the founding EATiP Mirror Platforms and Lead Region
Founding EATiP Mirror Platforms within the Partnership include: Pole Aquimer, Cluster Acuiplus, NCE Aquatech, NCE Aquaculture, AquaCultuur Vlaanderen and with the lead Region of Hauts de France.
This platform is part of the Smart Specialisation Strategy Community of Practice (S3 CoP) concept. This is itself part of the Communities and Networks policy of European Regional Cohesion Policy.
Two years ago DG MARE, in conjunction with DG REGIO, founded a new pillar of the Smart Specialisation strategy: Blue Economy. There are five areas of interest – Renewable Energy, Tourism, Blue Bio Technology, Fisheries and Aquaculture.
EATiP are very keen to hear from aquaculture stakeholders who think that there is interest from within their own region to join the TSSP, or who are aware of regional / national clusters that might like to join the EATiP Mirror Platform network.
- If you are aware of other European regions that have aquaculture included within their Regional Smart Specialisation Strategies (this is a pre-requisite to be included in the Partnership) or of multi stakeholder, industry led, aquaculture clusters then please let us know!
We welcome any thoughts, comments or questions and look forward to hearing from you!
Presenting the new TSSP Smart Circular Aquaculture Platform to the plenary session.
