Diagnostics debate proves lively

The event was used to help focus SAIC funding, and companies and individuals are now invited to bid for financial support for projects covering three key areas.

Around 50 delegates, from both academia and industry – including representatives of Marine Harvest, Cooke Aquaculture, Dawnfresh, Europharma, the Fish Vet Group and MSD Animal Health – came to the event, at Moredun Research. Its express purpose was: “to prioritise the top three issues with respect to rapid diagnostics to which research funding and innovation should be directed”.

A series of presentations, from a wide variety of sources, provided a wide range of enlightening insights into key diagnostic issues, as well as present some of the latest relevant projects from the world of diagnostics R&D.

These provided food for thought and delegates were then able to discuss the morning’s topics, as well as their own opinions on the matter, over lunch, before coming up with their own priorities.

This generated some lively debate in the afternoon, and allowed SAIC to collate the responses, concluding that the top 3 areas of research were:

1. Indicators of health/condition

- Biomarkers

- Pre-bath treatment assessment

- Fitness/performance

- Stress monitoring

- Prevention

2. Precursors to gill disease

- Multifactorial approach

3. Husbandry

- Smoltification

- Sea lice sensitivity

- Saprolegnia

- Bacterial loading

- Cleanerfish health

On this basis, SAIC revealed that it will now actively seek out expressions of interest (EoI) relating these three areas. Those wishing to submit an EoI – essentially a bid for funding – should use the form at http://scottishaquaculture.com/how-to-apply/ by March 14th.

“While we do operate an open door policy, we would like to see projects supported as an outcome of this workshop,” reflected SAIC’s Cori Critchlow-Watton.