SAIC appoints first sector advisory committee to steer new era

They are joined by industry association appointees Rhianna Rees, CEO of Seaweed Scotland; Oliver Robinson, who serves on the board of the British Trout Association; Eleanor Adamson, head of fisheries at The Fishmongers’ Company; and Iain Berrill, technical director at Salmon Scotland, ensuring the perspectives of stakeholders from across the aquaculture ecosystem are well represented.

Reflecting the central role of fish and shellfish health and wellbeing in the sector’s R&D, Meritxell Diez-Padrisa, business unit manager UK and senior fish health adviser at PatoGen; Sam Martin, director of the Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre at the University of Aberdeen; and Antonios Chalaris, founder of AC Aquaculture Consulting are also taking positions on the committee.

The aquaculture supply chain will be represented by Mikey Clarkson, commercial manager at feed producer BioMar; Keith Drynan, managing director of breeding and genetics company AquaGen Scotland Ltd.; and Roar Paulsen, senior vice president and country manager for the UK at Aquafarm Equipment.

Completing the group is Mike Montague, lead specialist for aquaculture at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), bringing an environmental regulatory perspective to the discussions that will help inform SAIC’s strategic direction.

The appointments come shortly after SAIC began a new chapter. In April, the innovation cluster became independent from its longstanding host, the University of Stirling, and relocated to the Highlands after receiving £1.4 million in new annual funding for a minimum of five years from Crown Estate Scotland.

Continuing its central role in driving innovation in aquaculture through collaborative R&D projects, the move also saw SAIC broaden its scope, creating more opportunities for engagement with SMEs and greater ability to support all parts of the sector, including shellfish, seaweed, and other species.

Sarah Riddle, Principal Officer at SAIC, said: “With our first sector advisory committee, we wanted to ensure that SAIC’s work truly reflects the needs, priorities, and ambitions of the entire aquaculture sector. This group brings together expertise from finfish, flatfish, shellfish, seaweed, academia, health, the supply chain and even the regulator, giving us access to a broad range of voices and perspectives.

“As SAIC enters a new chapter, it’s vital that we draw on as many points of view as possible. The committee will ensure we prioritise the needs of the sector so that we can maximise the impact, reach, and output of collaborative R&D, delivering tangible benefits for producers of all species. At the same time, it will support our aims strengthening innovation across Scotland and the long‑term sustainability and competitiveness of the sector.”

Innovation is widely seen as critical to helping Scotland’s aquaculture sector – which contributes £468 million in annual gross value added (GVA) to the economy – grow sustainably. From its inception in 2013 to the beginning of 2026, SAIC invested £10.8 million in collaborative R&D projects and brought in £70.6 million in additional funding.

As part of its next chapter, SAIC recently announced a call for expressions of interest in new project funding, receiving an unprecedented level of interest from the sector.

Rob Wilson, Chair of SAIC, added: “We’ve been hugely encouraged by the volume and quality of expressions of interest we’ve received since we shared our initial plans for a new funding call. It’s clear that right across the sector – from finfish and shellfish to seaweed and emerging species – there is real appetite to push forward with collaborative R&D.

“The calibre of the people who have joined the sector advisory committee gives us even greater confidence in SAIC’s future direction. Together, they bring an exceptional breadth and depth of experience, as well as valuable insight from across the sector. Their collective knowledge will ensure we can support projects that deliver meaningful impact for producers, the supply chain, and the wider Scottish aquaculture community.”