SAIC heads for the Highlands

Now renamed as the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Cluster, SAIC will in future operate from offices in to the Life Sciences Innovation Centre at the Inverness Campus, within Highlands and Islands Enterprises’ section of the development. 

SAIC will become completely independent from its previous host institution, the University of Stirling.

As previously reported, the innovation cluster has secured £1.4m in annual funding from Crown Estate Scotland – administered by the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate – for a minimum of five years, to continue its central role in driving innovation in aquaculture through collaborative research and development (R&D) projects.  

The move ends several years of uncertainty for SAIC, following the Scottish Funding Council’s decision in 2023 to withdraw financial support.

SAIC will be able to directly fund companies for the first time, creating opportunities for greater SME engagement and strengthening its ability to support all parts of the sector, including shellfish, seaweed and other species. The wider scope will also be reflected in the creation of a new “stakeholder committee” to help inform its activities, comprising representatives from across the sector and its supply chain.

Over the last few years SAIC’s consortium has grown to more than 400 members, ranging from producers and universities to tech companies and retailers, as more organisations have embraced R&D projects. 

Sarah Riddle, who leads SAIC as its principal officer having originally joined the team during 2020, said the innovation cluster expects to issue its first funding call under the new arrangements very soon.

She said: “Today marks a new start for SAIC and our support for the aquaculture sector. While it’s a new chapter, we are still made up of the same committed and knowledgeable team, working towards the same mission and ambition: helping aquaculture to grow sustainably through applied, high-quality R&D projects.

“What’s different now is that we can broaden our engagement to work with companies directly, supporting smaller operators which often do not have the need for complex academic projects that formed the majority of our previous work. That opens up new opportunities to deliver on our aims of enhancing fish health and wellbeing, improving climate resilience, and supporting production efficiency.”

She added: “We are incredibly grateful to the University of Stirling for hosting SAIC over the course of 13 years. Our new home in Inverness will place us at the heart of what is happening in aquaculture in the Highlands and Islands, where the majority of the sector’s produce is farmed and much of the innovation in the supply chain is happening.”