Scottish Government seeks innovative solution to monitor marine fish farm impacts.
The Scottish Government is offering up to £650,000 in funding for a new technological solution to assess the environmental impact of marine pen fish farms, as part of the latest CivTech Scotland Accelerator programme.
The challenge, sponsored by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), is one of eight in CivTech Round 11, which offers a total of £5.5 million to address a range of public sector challenges. Applicants are invited to develop a non-invasive, preferably quantitative method for monitoring the ecological effects of marine pen fish farms (MPFF) on rocky seabeds and protected habitats where conventional grab sampling is not viable.
The proposed solution must be scientifically robust and capable of determining whether fish farming operations remain within environmental limits.
The CivTech Accelerator, launched in 2016, is the world’s first government-run programme designed to support innovation in digital public services. To date, it has supported around 100 businesses, with participating companies reporting high follow-on contract rates and job creation.
Applications for CivTech Round 11 are open to individuals, start-ups, and established businesses.
