July 19, 2023 - A groundbreaking research centre is being established at the University of Plymouth with the intention of answering some of the most pressing sustainability questions relating to food production.
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| Fish tanks in Davy Building |
Research England recently granted a £5.7 million funding award to the University of Plymouth to set up a Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems (CRISPS). With additional University of Plymouth funding, more than £10 million is being invested to strengthen its position at the global forefront of aquaculture, agriculture and sustainable food production research and innovation.
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More than £2.7 million will be invested in new laboratories and aquaria (marine and freshwater) centred around high-precision aquaculture, protected and controlled environments, molecular genetics and funding to support monitoring of offshore aquaculture. These expansions will be matched by new lectureships, a minimum of 12 PhD research positions, and support for new and existing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across a number of subject areas. Among those which will benefit are the MSc Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries programme and a new MSc/MRes Sustainable Food Production systems course which will be delivered by the University starting in September 2025.
CRISPS brings together a vibrant community of transdisciplinary researchers, working towards addressing the challenge of sustainably feeding a global population of 9 billion. Founded upon research excellence in aquaculture, agricultural technology and soil health, and underpinned by investment in cutting-edge facilities, the Centre will create the critical mass required to ensure impactful research and real-world deployment in the UK and beyond.
Using high-precision aquaculture facilities for both marine and freshwater procedures, we are collaborating with a wide range of themes, from aquafeed sustainability to the impact of climate change on natural toxicity risk in aquaculture. In particular, the work from Dr Merrifield's Fish Nutrition and Health Research Group on sustainable raw materials, gut health and functional feed additives has made significant contributions to the development of functional aquafeeds.
"Aquaculture is low-carbon, high protein, food production sector - we must make greater use of our aquatic resources to ensure sustainable food security." says Dr Daniel Merrifield.
"providing sufficient food to feed an expanding human population is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. At the same time, we need to establish ways to reduce carbon emissions and increase sustainability. Through the new CRISPS centre, the University now has the capacity to work with existing and new partners to meet those challenges head-on and deliver real and lasting benefits," Professor Richard Preziosi, Director of CRISPS.
The Aquaculturists
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