Scottish Ocean Cluster: the story so far
The Scottish Ocean Cluster – driven by Seafood Scotland in partnership with the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), Zero Waste Scotland, Opportunity North East and Aberdeenshire Council – has marked the first anniversary of its official launch.
The innovative movement has marked an impressive first year, with several milestones marked and plenty of momentum gathered in its mission to become and international leader in renewable, circular, biological resources and solutions.
As well as attracting more than 105 expressions of interest from companies across Scotland and beyond, the Cluster secured more than £15,000 of funding from Marine Fund Scotland – in addition to Zero Waste Scotland and Seafood Scotland’s principal contributions.
Donna Fordyce, CEO of Seafood Scotland – who is spearheading the Scottish Ocean Cluster – said: “The funding was a game-changer for the Cluster. It allowed us to build on the solid foundation we’d built up during the six months following our launch and to look towards more tangible outcomes – translating research into real world collaborations and innovative projects.”
As the ground-breaking initiative moved into the second half of the year, it welcomed a new project manager to steer its next phase. Dr Tracy White, who has experience across seafood including leading the development of high‑value side-stream technologies within industry – is currently driving forward the Cluster’s overarching business plan.
Her appointment at the end of 2025 was quickly followed by a trio of cross-sector workshops to gather real-time feedback from those working across seafood, biotech and academia.
Donna said: “Scotland’s fishing sector faces quota reductions, rising costs and structural pressures, so the ability to extract more value from existing raw materials, as opposed to increasing volumes, is becoming increasingly critical. Our ambition is to help Scotland’s seafood sector improve resilience, profitability and innovation by unlocking higher-value uses for side-stream products.”
The workshops, which were attended by Dr Alexandra Leeper of the Iceland Ocean Cluster, were well-attended – demonstrating an appetite for scaling up side-stream product utilisation. Companies are increasingly recognising that what was previously viewed as ‘waste’ can generate higher value returns.
The events gave attendees an opportunity to hear more about the Cluster’s ambitions and practical applications – as well as the chance to feed back on the potential challenges and opportunities from an industry perspective.
As the initiative develops, the Cluster is establishing its role as more than introducing ideas – but also as a connector, translator and de-risker. The movement is geared towards building bridges between seafood processors, biotech companies, academics and investors – encouraging a move away from concept to commercial value propositions.
Dr Tracy White said: “A lot of companies are testing the water, but what’s ultimately needed is a mindset change – for people to grasp the wealth of opportunity the Cluster presents.”
Looking ahead to 2026, the Scottish Ocean Cluster’s focus is on the bigger picture, according to Donna: “We are viewing the project from the perspective of what resources exist, the availability of market opportunities and, ultimately, what the opportunities are for Scotland’s seafood sector, coastal communities, and the nation as a whole.”
Main Image © Fish Focus