CTAQUA, Spain's newly-designated National Technology Centre focusing on aquaculture and seafood.
Image: CTAQUA.
Spain's aquaculture industry has received a significant boost with the news that CTAQUA Aquaculture Technology Centre has been formally designated a National Technology Centre by Spain's Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The prestigious designation formally recognises the Centre's ongoing work in leading R&D and innovation in aquaculture and seafood, both nationally within Spain, and internationally.
However, the designation is also expected to unlock further opportunities for the Centre, which currently employs a dedicated team of 25 employees at its facilities in Cádiz, of which 20% hold doctoral degrees.
In creating National Technology Centres, CTAQUA notes, the Spanish government aims to create more "dynamic and flexible" organizations, characterised by "strong capabilities in industrial research, experimental development, and innovation", which can support the internationalization of Spanish companies as well as generate value from research outcomes.
In a Spanish language statement on the Centre's website, María del Mar Barrios, Deputy Director of CTAQUA, remarked that the Centre's diverse clients and mix of public and private funding sources were key factors in meeting the Ministry of Science and Innovation criteria.
A standout achievement was that 91% of the Centre's income over the past three years came from its own contracted R&D+i activities, far exceeding the government's minimum requirement of 35%, she explained.
With a client base of more than 75 entities and a 39% private billing rate, CTAQUA has also significantly contributed to the Spanish aquaculture and seafood sector through 18 public and 16 private projects, together with an average of 55 annual services provided to third parties, Barrios said.
Looking ahead, Barrios says CTAQUA plans to focus on enhancing infrastructure, expanding its project portfolio, and continuing to invest in specialized personnel.
"We will continue to advance in our growth strategy, consolidating our lines of action that contribute to the growth of the sectors we work with, improving our infrastructure, increasing our projects at the national and European level, as well as the necessary and indispensable specialized personnel to achieve these objectives," said Barrios.
"The progress made since our inception in 2007 would not be possible without the constant support of companies, organizations, and other entities that work in the growth of the aquaculture and seafood sectors," she added.
