OffShoreAqua

The Objective is “To investigate the opportunity and usefulness for the aquaculture industry of promoting offshore aquaculture through a technological platform”. The general methodology of the approach is to form a consortium of service providers, manufacturers, aquaculture practitioners with offshore experience, research and development organisations and agencies from the sector which will pool the available knowledge and experience by the most efficient and practical methods available. The goal is to ensure that the stated objective above is addressed accurately, comprehensively and efficiently. This will be achieved by:

A survey by way of a bespoke questionnaire, administered by direct interview. Survey to cover all members of consortium and additional stakeholders in EU/EETA region.
Informal seminars in key regions to identify key areas for future discussions.
An interim report for circulation in advance of international workshop.
International Workshop for partners and stakeholders.
A final report, with recommendations and roadmap of way forward. Report to reflect the proceedings of the workshop and the considered views of the partners on the functions of a technology platform is achieving goals set out above.

Potential impact

The main objective of this proposal is to investigate the opportunity and the usefulness for the aquaculture industry of promoting offshore aquaculture through a technology platform. In the course of carrying out a thorough evaluation the project will achieve a number of clearly defined goals, which will of themselves have a measurable impact beyond the achievement of the stated objective of the project. These impacts will include the following:

Development of a widely based consensus on RTDI priorities in the Offshore Aquaculture sector. This will inform strategic planning at various levels including EU National and Corporate. Feedback will be efficient, thorough and immediate through the gateway of the participants & partners in the project.
Raise the overall investment in the offshore aquaculture development sector (in terms of EU, member states, private funding and venture capital) by showing a common vision of the potential and the intermediate steps required to achieve it.
Strengthen networks and encourage the development of clusters and centres of excellence. In particular the facilitation of cluster development between public and private organisations and across disciplines in this sector, which is very much in the phase of early development and is as yet quite fragmented in nature, will be of critical benefit to realising future potential.
Identify, and objectively catalogue, areas of current strengths, areas of weakness, which require strengthening, and gap areas where there is a lack of capability or expertise within the ERA.
At a regional level, assist regions in identifying and addressing challenges and in particular opportunities in this developing sector.
Identify and catalogue the pre-requisites for development of a consistent and coherent policy and regulatory framework for offshore Aquaculture in the EU and EAA.
An increase in public awareness, understanding and acceptance of the technologies concerned and the benefits accruing to the wider public through their appropriate deployment.