Aimed to expand and diversify European aquaculture production of finfish, mollusks, and microalgae, NewTechAqua is launching a new award challenge open to startups, entrepreneurs, and technology centers with innovative solutions for the aquaculture sector.

The NewTechAqua Award Challenge is looking for innovative solutions to face six challenges:

• Deliver solutions to improve fish and mollusk health and disease resistance: prediction models for specific diseases, kits for disease detection, new breeding programs, and new diets.
• Increase the efficiency of aquaculture production systems via real-time management systems, satellite systems, and recommendations.
• Make the aquaculture sector more sustainable and circular through different rearing systems (RAS, biofloc technology, aquaponics) as well as new diets and feed products using fish by-products, fish processing wastewaters, and microalgae, new organic diets using plant proteins to produce more organic fish.
• Support the diversification of fish species by studying the reproductive cycle of emerging fish species to re-create the best conditions for raising these new species in aquaculture production systems.
• Develop new eco-friendly fish and mollusk products with high nutritional value.
• Raise awareness and train professionals from the aquaculture sector by creating training programs and conducting studies on consumers’ preferences.

A committee of experts will analyze the innovative solutions presented by candidates and will evaluate the submitted proposals considering five criteria:

• Orientation to the challenges of the NewTechAqua project.
• Leadership and team management skills.
• Degree of disruption of the technology and/or business model proposed.
• Feasibility of the project.
• Potential impact.

The five selected candidates will take advantage of the award with several improvements:

• Visibility for their company, products, and services by specialized international aquaculture audience.
• Connect with NewTechAqua’s global innovation system and contact companies and researchers that demand their innovations as well as find partners for the development of their solution.
• Be selected for a coaching program to improve the viability, the exploitation of their results, and their market uptake.
• Two months of the coaching program with expert members of NewTechAqua and other partner organizations.
• Present their idea at the Aquaculture Forum by the end of 2023, including a promotional video as a prize.

Proposals can be submitted by December 20 and will be evaluated by January 31, 2023, while the selected candidates will be informed by February 1.

Find the link to the application form here.