The consortium has been funded with 96 million NOK from the green platform initiative, which provides funding for enterprises and research institutes engaged in green growth and restructuring driven by research and innovation. 

Norway needs to develop a new value chain that moves aquaculture production out to sea, as the current inland production does not allow for sustainable growth towards 2050. A new value chain for offshore aquaculture will also contribute to the transition of a petroleum-based supplier sector to a new global market.

– The green platform initiative is a great opportunity for research institutes to collaborate with enterprises on the green transition and create green growth. SimulaMet is proud to be a part of this initiative and contribute to a more sustainable aquaculture, says Professor Olav Lysne, director of SimulaMet. 

Partner companies from all parts of the value chain have joined forces with research and development institutions and subcontractors for a joint application. Grieg Seafood ASA, Skretting, SalMar Ocean AS, Moreld Aqua AS, FishGLOBE AS, Hauge Aqua AS and Blue Planet AS are behind the application together with the research and development institutions NORCE, the Veterinary Institute, the Institute of Marine Research, NMBU, NTNU, UiB, UiS, Høgskulen på Vestlandet, SimulaMet, The University of Melbourne and the University of Florida. In addition, the project involves Norway Royal Salmon, ABB and other subcontractors.

Leveraging input from other partners, SimulaMet will design and develop a digital twin solution for offshore operational infrastructure to simplify and extend the use of collected data, enabling data-driven predictions and more informative decision-making processes.

Valeriya Naumova, Senior research scientist and director of Simula Consulting, together with Shaukat Ali, Chief research scientist, were key contributors to the proposal from Simula side.