The team at Nofima in Bergen are ready to step up their work on developing sustainable feed ingredients after receiving infrastructure funding from the Research Council of Norway. From left: process operator Bhaskar Pandey, centre director and senior scientist Tor Andreas Samuelsen, senior scientist Tone Aspevik, scientist Alette Løbø Viken, senior research technician Rolf Egil Myrmel, chief executive Bente Torstensen, scientist Kristine Mjølnerød, research director Erik-Jan Lock, head of the Feed Technology Centre Truls Wergeland, and scientist Kamaljit Moirangthem.

Researchers given £4.6m to expand aquafeed technology centre

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The second phase of an aquafeed technology centre hosted by Norwegian research institute Nofima is one of 18 projects to share in a NOK 1.24 billion (£97.3 million) funding round from the Research Council of Norway.

The Aquafeed Technology Centre Phase II will further develop a national research infrastructure for the development and testing of raw materials, ingredients, and feed for aquaculture.

The infrastructure provides research communities and industry with access to advanced facilities for processing, formulation and evaluation of new feed ingredients. The goal is to contribute to more sustainable resource utilisation and innovation in the aquaculture industry.

The project will also strengthen knowledge about raw materials, nutrition and feed utilisation in farmed fish.

Almost NOK 59 million

Nofima, research centre NORCE, and the University of Bergen (UiB) jointly applied for the funding, and will receive NOK 58.851m (£4.62m).

“We are incredibly proud and delighted today,” said Tor Andreas Samuelsen of Nofima, who heads the centre, in collaboration with UiB and NORCE.

“Upgrading the Aquafeed Technology Centre puts us in an even stronger position to contribute to the development of a sustainable industry for feed ingredients, feed and other bio-based products."

Erik-Jan Lock, research director for nutrition and feed technology at Nofima, said: “Phase 1 of the Aquafeed Technology Centre (opened in 2015) has been an important driver of research and innovation. With this investment, we are ensuring that Norway will continue to have the knowledge and capacity to develop and process the raw materials of tomorrow.”

The Research Council of Norway received 97 applications for the funding pot. Other projects that were chosen included Biobank Norway 5, which receives NOK 89.9m to further develop Norway's infrastructure for biological samples and associated health data.

There is also NOK 198.5m for cleanrooms and advanced equipment for the development of micro and nanotechnology products, NOK 141.2m to further develop Norway's contribution to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and NOK 75.2m to expand observation systems on Svalbard to monitor how climate change affects the water cycle in the Arctic.

sustainable aquaculture aquafeed nofima research council of norway news aquafeed technology centre