Aquaculture Directed Knowledge Exchange Fellowship

With the global population expected to rise to 9.6 billion by 2050, there is increasing pressure for aquaculture to meet the rising demand, while maintaining sustainability and food security standards. While European aquaculture has been struggling to maintain competitiveness, at a UK level research investment has dropped considerably, until the recent joint BBSRC-NERC initiative. Prior funding has largely focused on salmonids and shellfish, mainly spanning the areas of disease or environmental impact, often focusing on Scotland but not fully covering the breadth of strategic needs of the sector. Furthermore, there is often a decoupling between basic research funded by research councils and industrially applied research. Moreover, the impact of basic research has been further limited by inadequate mechanisms for knowledge exchange between academia and industry. This KEF will build the know-how for effective information exchange and research translation by connecting the actors within the aquaculture value chain. The fellow will work closely with research and industry, to identify knowledge needs, promote collaborations, disseminate BBRSC-NERC funded research and improve public perception of aquaculture.