Sustainable Aquaculture cluster
This project cluster brings together IGNITION, Cure4Aqua, GrinnAqua, LOCALITY, INNOAQUA, and EUAqua — six Horizon Europe initiatives dedicated to advancing sustainable aquaculture practices, improving animal welfare, and promoting innovation across the blue economy.
Name: Leading Ocean’s Circular Algae Transition in the Baltic and the North Sea
Timeline: June 2023 to May 2027
Description: LOCALITY is a Horizon Europe-funded project focused on developing circular and sustainable value chains by integrating industrial players to co-create innovative algae-based products. The project aims to protect and restore Europe’s aquatic ecosystems while bringing new products to regional and global markets.
Goals: Utilize nutrient-rich side streams from agriculture, fish, and textile industries for algae cultivation. Produce sustainable algal products targeting food, aquafeed, agriculture, and textile sectors. Demonstrate the social and economic benefits of algae-based products. Develop commercialization strategies and ensure consumer and market acceptance.
Name: Green Innovation Strategies for Animal Health Management: Towards Sustainable Aquaculture
Timeline: November 2021 to November 2024
Description: GrinnAqua is a Horizon Europe-funded project focused on enhancing the scientific excellence and innovation capacity of the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) in Portugal. The project aims to develop green innovation strategies for animal health management, promoting sustainable aquaculture practices.
Goals: Strengthen CIIMAR’s research capabilities through collaboration with leading international institutions. Develop sustainable health management strategies for aquaculture species. Transfer innovative solutions to the Portuguese and European aquaculture sectors to boost sustainability and productivity.
Name: Curing EU aquaculture by co-creating health and welfare innovations
Timeline: November 2022 to April 2027
Description: The project aims to enhance the resilience of European aquaculture by developing innovative approaches to prevent aquatic fish diseases. This includes introducing and validating novel technologies for early disease detection and advancing alternative treatments to replace pharmaceuticals in disease control.
Goals: Develop cost-effective vaccines, implementing selective breeding programs to improve stress and disease management. Create bio-based alternatives to antibiotics. Establish high welfare standards across various life stages and production systems.
Name: Green Innovation Strategies for Animal Health Management: Towards Sustainable Aquaculture
Timeline: November 2022 to October 2026
Description: IGNITION is a Horizon Europe-funded project dedicated to enhancing animal welfare and health in aquaculture. By adopting a holistic approach, the project aims to develop non-invasive tools and strategies to monitor and improve the well-being of farmed aquatic animals, addressing challenges posed by climate change and promoting sustainable practices.
Goals: Understand molecular, physiological, and behavioral responses of farmed animals to stressors. Develop non-invasive biomarkers and monitoring tools for health and stress assessment. Create immune-boosting functional feeds and efficient vaccination approaches. Advance genomic and health monitoring tools to support sustainable aquaculture practices.
Name: Innovative approaches for an integrated use of algae in sustainable aquaculture practices and high-value food applications
Timeline: May 2023 – April 2026
Description: INNOAQUA is a Horizon Europe-funded project focused on developing sustainable, high-quality aquafeeds using alternative protein sources. Through a collaborative approach, the project seeks to reduce the reliance on conventional fishmeal and fish oil, promoting environmental and economic sustainability in aquaculture.
Goals: Demonstrate and mainstream innovative, sustainable, and circular aquaculture production systems based on low trophic species. Increase the uptake of these solutions by promoting social awareness, knowledge sharing, and the co-creation of citizen-driven and science-based policies. Support the transformation of aquaculture into a more sustainable and resilient food production sector aligned with the EU Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, and the Sustainable Blue Economy.
Name: Advancing innovative breeding for sustainable and organic European aquaculture
Timeline: Jan 2025 – Dec 2028
Description: EUAqua will develop innovative technologies and intervention strategies to overcome the barriers hindering organic aquaculture in Europe. By unlocking the potential of organic aquaculture, the project will facilitate the blue transition towards a Europe dominated by sustainable seafood production. This will enable the provision of alternative sources of nutritious, healthy seafood, whilst ensuring food security, and ultimately playing a pivotal role in the restoration of aquatic biodiversity.
Goals: Advance sustainable aquaculture by developing key enabling technologies that support advanced genomic selection and naturally controlled reproduction and sex ratio. Create breakthrough approaches for effective selective breeding that improve feed efficiency using sustainable organic feeds. Innovating tools to enhance animal resilience and welfare within a One Health framework, considering impacts at both the individual and ecosystem level. Analyse consumer responses to food labelling and design awareness strategies to promote the acceptance and uptake of organic aquaculture products.