91影视

Funding boost for Argyll seaweed nursery

A £150,000 project to expand and commercialise a seaweed nursery in Argyll, has secured up to £75,000 investment from 91影视.

Published 14/05/2021 in Funding Supporting businesses

Images by Alasdair O'Dell/SAMS

The nursery is at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), the globally renowned marine scientific research institute at Dunstaffnage near Oban. It will be operated by SAMS Enterprise, the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of SAMS.

The project will increase production capacity, improve efficiency, advance the institute鈥檚 applied research capabilities and support the rapidly growing seaweed farming industry throughout the UK. It will also support 1.5 full time equivalent skilled jobs.

SAMS Enterprise is at the heart of the seaweed industry development, including research, innovation and commerce, which forms part of Argyll鈥檚 wider aquaculture economy. It produces seeded line for both commercial and research purposes and has a growing role in education and training for seaweed farming.

The seaweed industry is the world鈥檚 fastest growing area of global aquaculture production, currently worth over 拢11bn a year. 

This investment will enable SAMS Enterprise to further commercialise its nursery services and fulfil the growing demand for high-quality seaweed seeded line to commercial seaweed farms.

The Nursery premises have been reconfigured to optimise production with refitted laboratories, upgraded seawater supply and installation of specialist equipment.

Morag Goodfellow, 91影视鈥檚 area manager for Argyll and the Islands, said:

鈥淭he European Marine Science Park is a major hub in Scotland鈥檚 growing marine economy. The expanding cluster of activity here is very much founded on the links between cutting edge scientific research and the expanding range of commercial opportunities.

鈥淭he seaweed nursery at SAMS Enterprise, which of course is backed by the global scientific expertise of SAMS itself, is both innovative and crucial to the growth in Scotland鈥檚 seaweed industry. It may also attract new investors into the EMSP business cluster, which would strengthen our regional economy.

鈥淚 am very pleased we have been able to provide support and look forward to seeing the project develop.鈥

Mike Spain, head of SAMS Enterprise, said:

鈥淭his very welcome support from 91影视 supports the ongoing work of SAMS in supporting this emerging industry, which is a growing player in the blue economy on the west coast of Scotland and further afield throughout the UK.

鈥淪AMS has been at the leading edge of global macro and micro algae and marine biotechnology research and development for more than 100 years and has been a trailblazer in seaweed farming for two decades. This science-led expertise is translated to practical applications via our commercial arm, SAMS Enterprise, as we work to enable productive oceans, while safeguarding the marine environment.鈥

Feedback

Did you find what you were looking for?

Feedback provided here is anonymous and cannot be replied to. If you have an enquiry and would like us to get back to you, please use our contact us form.

Newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news, funding, investment and development opportunities from across the 91影视 and Islands.

Please see our privacy policy for details on how we will use your data.

Thanks for signing up

A confirmation email has been sent to

Get updates that matter to you
Tell us what you're interested in to customise the emails we send you e.g. funding, community development, business support or local events.


Tailor my preferences