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
Optimising freshwater health interventions in seawater salmon production (Optibath)
Optimising freshwater health interventions in seawater salmon production (Optibath)

This project aimed to optimise and validate best practices for the treatment of AGD a...

Completed
Optimising vaccination formulations for Ballan wrasse
Optimising vaccination formulations for Ballan wrasse

The 'WraAs OptiVacc' project set out to assess the efficacy of multivalent dip vaccin...

Completed
Real-time modelling and prediction of harmful algal blooms
Real-time modelling and prediction of harmful algal blooms

Developing a real-time modelling and prediction tool to minimise the impact of HABs o...

Ongoing
Salmonid freshwater cage farming in a changing world
Salmonid freshwater farming in a changing world

This project brings together a unique freshwater aquaculture partnership to improve t...

Completed
SAVED: Validating models to predict and measure sea lice on salmon
SAVED: Validating models to predict and measure sea lice on salmon

Understanding sea lice behaviour, dispersion and control is vital for promoting susta...

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...

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
SmoothMove: a low-density fish loading system for enhanced salmon welfare
SmoothMove: a low-density fish loading system for enhanced salmon welfare

East Coast Innovation has developed a novel fish loading system that allows transfers...

Completed
The development of diagnostic techniques to assess fish health and the impact of sea lice treatment in aquaculture
Development of diagnostic techniques to assess fish health and impact of sea lice treatment

This project successfully repurposed diagnostic technologies from human and veterinar...

Completed
The use of a water treatment technology (CleanTreat®) to support Integrated Pest Management in salmon farming
The use of a water treatment technology (CleanTreat®) to support Integrated Pest Management in salmon farming

This project explored the use of a water treatment technology (CleanTreat®) to suppor...

Completed
Transforming Fish Health Management in Aquaculture: A High-Throughput, Non-Lethal Diagnostic Approach
Transforming Fish Health Management: A High-Throughput, Non-Lethal Diagnostic Approach

This project not only met but exceeded its main objectives, yielding two significant...

Completed
Tubenet™ technology for sea lice control in Scotland (TUBENET-PROOF)
Tubenet™ technology for sea lice control in Scotland

Addressing specific scientific questions to fully understand the efficacy and impacts...

Completed
Understanding failure rates in Rainbow trout populations
Understanding failure rates in Rainbow trout populations

The primary objective of this study was to identify the cause of failed fish syndrome...

Completed
Understanding the impact of freshwater rearing environments on Atlantic salmon health and performance: Robust Smolt
The impact of freshwater rearing environments on Atlantic salmon health and performance: Robust Smolt

This project sought to understand how freshwater environmental conditions - including...

Completed
Unlocking gill health: biomarkers and management of disease in farmed Atlantic salmon
Unlocking gill health: biomarkers and management of disease in farmed Atlantic salmon

This project investigated the drivers of complex gill disease (CGD) in farmed Atlanti...

Completed
Unlocking sustainable aquafeed with UK-grown hemp protein
Unlocking sustainable aquafeed with UK-grown hemp protein

This project focused on establishing a UK-based, sustainable supply chain for a compe...

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.