Major funding for ATC Phase II

A happy team at Nofima in Bergen, 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, CEO Bente Torstensen, Scientist Kristine Mjølnerød, Research Director Erik-Jan Lock, Head of the Feed Technology Centre Truls Wergeland and Scientist Kamaljit Moirangthem. Image: Nofima

The Research Council of Norway has awarded NOK 1.24 billion to strengthen Norwegian research and innovation. Nofima is hosting one of the 18 funded projects, allowing them to strengthen the work in Aquaculture Technology Centre.

The award is covered on Forskningsradet.no, which notes that all the infrastructure projects receiving funding in this round are part of the Norwegian Roadmap for Research Infrastructure. The funding will go to a range of projects to further develop and upgrade the national infrastructures for research and innovation.

“We are incredibly proud and delighted today” says Tor Andreas Samuelsen of Nofima, who heads the centre, in collaboration with the University of Bergen 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,” he says.

“Phase 1 of the Aquafeed Technology Centre 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,” says Erik-Jan Lock, Research Director for Nutrition and Feed Technology at Nofima.

Research on sustainable fish feed

Aquafeed Technology Centre Phase II will further develop a national research infrastructure for developing and testing raw materials, ingredients and feed for aquaculture and other bio-based industries. The infrastructure gives research groups and industry access to advanced facilities for processing, formulating and evaluating new feed raw materials. The aim is to contribute to more sustainable resource utilisation and innovation in the aquaculture industry. The project will also strengthen knowledge of raw materials, nutrition and feed utilisation in farmed fish.

The Aquafeed Technology Centre was established in 2015, when Phase 1 was awarded funding.