The new facilities will offer an "enhanced, joined-up research and development capability across freshwater, tropical and marine environments".
Photo: University of Stirling.
The University of Stirling is to significantly expand its marine aquaculture research capacity thanks to a £3.84 million investment in its Marine Environment Research Laboratory (MERL) at Machrihanish, in Argyll.
The funding forms part of the Argyll and Bute Rural Growth Deal, a 10-year programme worth £70 million aimed at boosting economic development in the region, with contributions of £25 million from both the UK and Scottish Governments.
The Machrihanish facility forms the University's Institute of Aquaculture's marine research site, and currently hosts a wide range of academic and contract research.
The investment will see its existing space repurposed, "delivering an enhanced capability and increased capacity for environmentally controllable marine aquaculture research and innovation", according to the University, with the new facilities offering an "enhanced, joined-up research and development capability across freshwater, tropical and marine environments".
The investment is the latest in a series of significant aquaculture projects from the University of Stirling, including the new National Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Hub (NATIH), a £17 million venture funded through the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal. The University also recently upgraded its freshwater research site at Buckieburn, near Denny.
“The fast pace of growth in the world’s aquaculture sector creates significant challenges. The University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that this growth is sustainable, addressing pressing issues from fish welfare to disease prevention," said Professor Malcolm MacLeod, Senior Deputy Principal at the University of Stirling, in a press release.
“The UK Government’s investment in the University’s Macrihanish Innovation Campus is a further recognition of the Institute’s distinct role in driving a productive global aquaculture industry, while making a direct contribution to communities locally," MacLeod added.
