SCOTTISH OCEAN CLUSTER LAUNCHES INAUGURAL SUMMIT

Scottish Ocean Cluster launches inaugural summit to unlock the future of Scotland’s seafood by-products. The Scottish Ocean Cluster has opened registration for its inaugural Summit, bringing together industry leaders, bio processors, researchers, entrepreneurs, government and investors to explore how greater value can be created from Scotland’s seafood by-products.

Taking place on Wednesday 9 September at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow, the event marks a significant milestone in the Cluster’s development. It also represents an important step towards establishing a flagship annual gathering focused on accelerating innovation and collaboration across Scotland’s seafood and bioeconomy sectors.

Delivered in partnership with the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), the Summit forms part of a wider programme of Scottish Ocean Cluster engagement events taking place this autumn in Fraserburgh and Fort William. Together, these events aim to strengthen collaboration between stakeholders across seafood, biotechnology, academia, government and investment.

A diverse mix of cross-sector delegates is expected to attend, creating a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, share expertise, and showcase Scotland’s growing leadership in the circular blue economy. The programme will feature keynote presentations, networking opportunities, a product exhibition and a series of two-minute flash presentations, highlighting the untapped potential of Scotland’s seafood by-products, with applications spanning textiles, animal feed, nutraceuticals, construction, and chemical manufacturing.

Designed to encourage participation rather than passive attendance, the Summit’s interactive format will help attendees identify potential partners, share challenges and explore practical solutions to drive further innovation across Scotland’s circular seafood economy.

Donna Fordyce, chief executive officer of Seafood Scotland, said:

“The Scottish Ocean Cluster was created to combine expertise from across industry, academia and government to unlock more value from one of Scotland’s greatest natural resources. This Summit represents the next stage in that journey and the beginning of what we hope will become an annual event.

“We’re connecting people who may not traditionally work alongside or meet one another, but who all have an important role to play in creating innovative, sustainable and commercially viable solutions from seafood by-products.

“The participation of stakeholders from around the world also gives us a fantastic chance to learn from international success stories while showcasing the exciting work already happening here in Scotland.”

Sander Nevejans, chief executive officer of SeasTex, an organisation transforming mussel byssus (mussel beards) into high-performance, bio-based acoustic insulation panels, as well as high-value cosmetic and bio-manufacturing ingredients, said:

“The Scottish Ocean Cluster has enabled us to engage directly with seafood producers and organisations from across the sector that share a need to find new value in seafood by-products. This ability to bring together people we might never otherwise meet creates opportunities to exchange ideas, build partnerships and explore new collaborations. I’m sure the Summit will help accelerate those conversations even further.”

Insights and connections generated through the Summit will help shape future Scottish Ocean Cluster activity, supporting the development of new projects and identifying new ways to maximise the value of Scotland’s seafood by-products.

Tickets for the Scottish Ocean Cluster Summit are now available via Eventbrite.

Read Fish Focus’ latest seafood processing magazine.

Image: Key industry stakeholders at the Scottish Ocean Cluster roundtable at the Seafood Expo Global conference in Barcelona. Issued by Clark on behalf of Seafood Scotland