Students Innovation Fund (Nýsköpunarsjóður Námsmanna)
The Students Innovation Fund supported two students to work on aquaponics studies in the summer period 2013. The project was initiated by Svinna-Engineering Ltd. (SVINNA) and The Agricultural University of Iceland (LBHI). One of the students worked on the pilot unit setup at the Agricultural University, modified the technical design and tested different plants for the system. The other student renovated a greenhouse at Kleppjárnsreykir in West-Iceland, built a small pilot unit and constructed a webpage for aquaponics.is. In addition two students from US took part in the project, designing a larger scale raft system and estimating water parameters.
EcoPonics
The Project EcoFood from Aquaponics (EcoPonics) supported by CIP Eco-Innovation, First Application and market replication projects is running for 30 months from July 2013.
The partners in EcoPonics are Svinna-Engineering Ltd. (SVINNA), Iceland, Breen Breeded in Green SL (BREEN), Spain, Institute of Global Food and Farming (IGFF), Denmark, and University of Iceland (HI).
Thus, EcoPonics joins three innovation companies from Iceland, Spain and Denmark, respectively, collaborating with researchers at the University of Iceland. The main aim of Ecoponics is to implement commercial and competitive aquaponics production systems in all three participating countries. The EcoPonics partners will work towards dissemination and replication of the Aquaponics technique in Europe providing new high skilled jobs and sustainable high value food products.
The innovation aspect of this project is to introduce and implement viable closed-loop aquaponics production systems on a commercial scale and support the development of a competitive European cluster being in the forefront of sustainable aqua- and horticulture production. Proven, high-tech and complete large scale aquaponics modules will be marketed towards conventional aqua- and horticulture producers, and urban modules will be presented to EU municipalities as part of the solution on transition towards sustainable low-carbon and climate resilient cities in Europe. The production itself will follow a cradle to cradle closed-loop system with high impact reductions on CO2 emissions, freshwater and nutrients.
EuroPonics
The Project European Aquaponics (EuroPonics) supported by The Lifelong Learning Program, started in August 2013 and runs for 24 months.
The partners in EuroPonics are Bioforsk (BIOFORSK), Norway, Breen Breeded in Green SL (BREEN), Spain, Institute of Global Food and Farming (IGFF), Denmark, and University of Iceland (HI).
The EuroPonics partnership aims to establish a European vocational training program in aquaponics. Successful implementation of a new industry needs skilled people and the know-how in Europe is today limited to very few people. Therefore, there is a need to build strong networks of researchers, schools and businesses to implement vocational training programs in aquaponics and join leading entrepreneurs and researchers.
The EU Aquaponics Hub: Realising Sustainable Integrated Fish and Vegetable Production for the EU
The EU Aquaponics Hub aims to the development of aquaponics in the EU, by leading the research agenda through the creation of a networking hub of expert research and industry scientists, engineers, economists, aquaculturists and horticulturalists, and contributing to the training of young aquaponic scientists. The EU Aquaponics Hub focuses on three primary systems in three settings:
- ‘cities and urban areas’ – urban agriculture aquaponics,
- ‘developing country systems’ – devising systems and technologies for food security for local people
- ‘industrial scale aquaponics’ – providing competitive systems delivering cost effective, healthy and sustainable local food in the EU.