Projects

We channel our resources into the areas that will benefit the Scottish aquaculture sector the most, including reducing its environmental footprint and increasing its economic impact.

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Completed
Investigation into the causes of and possible solutions to failed rainbow trout in aquaculture
Investigation into the causes of and possible solutions to failed rainbow trout in aquaculture

A comprehensive assessment of failed fish by the incorporation of information on broo...

Completed
Improving Disease Resistance in Atlantic salmon and Rainbow trout to Flavobacterium psychrophilum
Improving Disease Resistance to Flavobacterium psychrophilum

Improving disease resistance in Atlantic salmon and Rainbow trout to Flavobacterium p...

Completed
Genomic breeding for gill health and lice resistance in salmon: towards improved accuracy and affordability
Genomic breeding for gill health and lice resistance in salmon: improved accuracy and affordability

Optimising genomic selection in salmon breeding to improve the accuracy and affordabi...

Ongoing
Gill Health in Scottish farmed salmon
Gill Health in Scottish farmed salmon

Identification of actions and measures that can be used to prevent, reduce, or treat...

Completed
Enhancing the health and welfare of lumpfish
Enhancing the health and welfare of lumpfish

Increased understanding of the use and performance of cleaner fish in farmed environm...

Completed
Developing mobile biomarker detection for seawater readiness
Developing mobile biomarker detection for seawater readiness

Better decision-making; improved fish health and welfare; reduced mortalities; plus,...

Completed
Exploring the risk factors for Saprolegniosis outbreaks in salmon farms
Exploring the risk factors for Saprolegniosis outbreaks

Increased understanding of Saprolegnia and its causative factors, enabling Scotland’s...

Completed
Exploring ultrasound-based technology for salmon delousing
Exploring ultrasound-based technology for salmon delousing

An effective, non-medicinal approach to controlling the incidence of sea lice on Scot...

Completed
Improving cleaner fish vaccination methodology and technology
Improving cleaner fish vaccination methodology and technology

Improved survivability and efficacy of cleaner fish on Scotland’s salmon farms, with...

Completed
Developing diagnostic techniques for assessing fish health
Developing diagnostic techniques for assessing fish health

A cheaper, faster method of monitoring and informing fish health practitioners on the...

Ongoing
Optimising freshwater health interventions in seawater salmon production
Optimising freshwater health interventions in seawater salmon production

This field-based project focuses on improving best practice for treating fish showing...

Ongoing
Spatial and temporal drivers of gill pathology in Atlantic Salmon
Spatial and temporal drivers of gill pathology in Atlantic Salmon

Unlocking the mechanisms underlying the variability in gill pathology, generating nov...

Completed
Development of an orally administered novel sea lice vaccine targeting mucosal immunity
Development of an orally administered novel sea lice vaccine targeting mucosal immunity

Sea lice continue to have a major impact on the salmon farming industry. Many injecti...

Completed
KelpRing: natural kelp hides for cleanerfish
KelpRing: natural kelp hides for cleanerfish

KelpRing is an innovative new product to support the successful use of cleaner fish (...

Ongoing
Robust-Smolt: impact of environmental conditions on fish health and welfare
Robust-Smolt: impact of environmental conditions on fish health and welfare

The rapid expansion of the salmon farming sector has been made possible through the a...

Completed
Aquawrasse: cleanerfish personality study
Aquawrasse: cleanerfish personality study

Ballan wrasse is one of the species used as cleanerfish in salmon farming. Their natu...

Ongoing
Serum biomarkers for early diagnostics of cardiomyopathies: field and challenge assessment
Serum biomarkers for early diagnostics of cardiomyopathies: field and challenge assessment

This project aims to develop a simple and cost-effective mass testing tool that could...

Completed
Simulating in vitro Atlantic salmon intestinal microbiome system
Simulating in vitro Atlantic salmon intestinal microbiome system

A go-to diagnostic system for testing new feeds prior to in vivo trials, providing de...

Completed
Scaling up the use of cleaner fish
Scaling up the use of cleaner fish

Increased harvest volumes of salmon and reduced reliance on medicinal controls, with...

Completed
AquaLeap: innovation in genetics & breeding to advance UK aquaculture production
AquaLeap: innovation in genetics & breeding to advance UK aquaculture production

AquaLeap aims to improve genetics and breeding for four UK aquaculture sectors includ...

Project facts
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Investment

Total value of SAIC-funded/co-funded collaborative research to date: £70.9m

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Partnership

SAIC-funded research spans 92 different industry/academic project partners.

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Projects

So far, SAIC has helped fund 100 collaborative research projects

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Leverage Rate

Quadrupling return on investment by generating over £4 in industry and third-party funding for every £1 of public money

Industry-academic collaborations

Some of our projects have a lifetime of less than one year, while others are longer-term, multi-partner collaborations of up to three and a half years. Each project unites industry know-how with specialist academic expertise; something that SAIC works hard to encourage by helping forge the necessary connections.

Priority innovation areas

Our work is focused on catalysing and co-funding innovation in the areas identified by the sector as being top priorities. We call them our priority innovation areas – or PIAs for short.

Over the years, the industry’s priorities for innovation have evolved. Therefore, so too have our PIAs. This helps ensure that we continue to deliver maximum benefit from the combined investment being made. SAIC's three PIAs are 1: Finfish health & welfare, 2: Unlocking sector capacity, and 3: Shellfish and other non-finfish species.