Trine Vatle, Director of Strategy and Operations, Kristine Hartmann, Managing Director Salmon Living Lab, Bernt Martinsen, Senior Vice President PHARMAQ part of Zoetis, and Simen Kristoffersen, Director of Research, pictured after signing the partnership agreement.
Photo: Salmon Living Lab
Salmon Living Lab has announced it has signed a partnership agreement with Pharmaq, as it seeks to expand research into salmon health and welfare through partnerships across the salmon supply chain.
Pharmaq is the seventh partner to join the SalMar-led initiative, which was originally launched in 2024, with the aquaculture vaccine specialist contributing expertise in fish health, vaccine development, diagnostics and data-driven work.
"Broad research on fish health, vaccines and medical technology is fundamental to disease prevention and good fish welfare, and Pharmaq is the best in the world in this area," said Kristine Hartmann, CEO of Salmon Living Lab. "We are excited to have them join us in building Salmon Living Lab into a global innovation and research center that will close biological knowledge gaps, increase survival and strengthen fish welfare in the aquaculture industry.”
The partners said their collaboration will be developed as a long-term strategic partnership, with specific projects to be set up under the lab’s framework, supporting research and innovation projects within Salmon Living Lab and focusing on practical testing and preventive measures in production settings.
“The aquaculture industry faces complex challenges that no single actor can solve alone. Salmon Living Lab is an ambitious and forward-looking initiative that brings together the industry in a new way. As knowledge sharing is a key part of our strategy, we look forward to contributing our experience and broad expertise in fish health, vaccine development, and innovation,” added Bernt Martinsen, Senior Vice President at Pharmaq.
The Salmon Living Lab partners also include Cargill, which has been involved in the project since its inception, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), NORCE research institute, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, and Norwegian food safety research institute Nofima, whose partnership was announced last year.
Together, the SLL partners plan to work during 2026 and 2027 on a joint global research and development strategy, which they say will be made openly available. They also plan to establish a multi-year project portfolio and identify infrastructure needs for research and testing, with particular attention to full-scale sea trials.
“We strongly believe in collaboration across the industry, and this partnership model allows us to contribute where our expertise can have the greatest impact. This enables us to help develop solutions that are relevant to both the industry and fish welfare over time,” Martinsen said.
