A two-week aquaculture innovation workshop managed by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s seafood development agency, and aquaculture accelerator Hatch and funded under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, will take place in the RDI (Research, Development, Innovation) Hub in Killorglin, Co Kerry, Ireland this October.

“Last year’s aquaculture workshop, held in Dublin, resulted in three of the participating Irish businesses receiving significant capital investment and going on to join the Hatch Global Accelerator program in Hawaii. It’s clear that many more concepts and ideas await discovery and development in Ireland given the right environment, investment and focus,” said Richard Donnelly, development and innovation manager at BIM.

Like most accelerators, the BIM Aquaculture Accelerator offers access to investors, fin-tech and other specialists, but this program is specifically tailored to the aquaculture sector. This is the third such BIM aquaculture accelerator to take place since 2018. Startups on the programs are diverse. Previous years’ businesses have included innovative technologies in salmon cage manufacturing to online trading platforms for aquaculture products.

“We are excited to partner with BIM once again to create and drive more opportunity and innovation within the aquaculture sector in Ireland. The ultimate aim of this initiative is to grow, develop and support more early-stage ideas and talent in what is the fastest-growing food sector in the world right now ($230B),” Wayne Murphy, co-founder and COO at Hatch.

Ten startup businesses from Ireland will have the opportunity to work directly with and receive mentorship from a global team of experts from aquaculture, fin-tech and marketing disciplines in October.

The BIM aquaculture accelerator program will be held from October 5-16 in the RDI Hub, Killorglin, Co Kerry. For details on how to apply, visit www.hatch.blue.