With a PhD in the rather narrow field of enzymatic hydrolysis in copepods, Birthe Vang thought she might have a hard time finding a job. Then Peptek was established.

The combination of concrete, applied research and freedom to push science forwards appeals to Carl Emil Aae Eskildsen, a postdoctoral researcher in Spectec.

The results from the strategic research initiatives are already so good that the Managing Director of Nofima, Øyvind Fylling-Jensen, would like to start up more.

Nofima is investing over NOK 8 million kroner a year of its internal funds to develop cutting-edge expertise in selected research fields. The goals for this initiative are both bold and ambitious: Nofima Food Research Institute shall be commercially useful, relevant, innovative, and at the forefront of international research within spectroscopy technology and peptide technology.

A mineral-rich ingredient that researchers at Nofima have extracted from fish bones has produced unexpected effects. In experiments where salmon were fed feed with the ingredient, the colour level of the salmon muscles increased considerably.

It’s been ten years since the first Smolt Production in the Future conference took place in Sunndalsøra, Norway. “Back then, we were talking about using recirculation for smolt production. Now we are discussing closed-containment aquaculture and post smolt production.” says scientist Jelena Kolarevic in Nofima, head of the conference.

In its third year, scientists, farmers and technology suppliers at the CtrlAQUA Centre have researched and acquired new knowledge about farming in closed-containment aquaculture systems. Such knowledge will contribute to the Centre’s ambition to make closed systems off-the-shelf products.

Research from Nofima confirms that there are a number of ways to farm salmon.

A new research project will investigate and analyse relevant management models for aquaculture in the future.

Åsa Espmark is the new Centre Director of CtrlAQUA. She takes over from Bendik Fyhn Terjesen who has headed the Centre from its inception in 2015.