Structuring for Implementation: Research for Aquaculture Gustavo Larrazábal Chairman EATiP Vice-President FEAP President-Managing Director Grupo Tinamenor, S.L. Aquaculture in Motion “Moving European Aquaculture forward.- Sustainable strategies”

The Vision for European Aquaculture: Obtained by multi-stakeholder consensus Largest pan-European consultation on aquaculture covers The Role of European Aquaculture: Challenges to Progress. The Strategic Research and Innovation prioritisation exercise. balanced assesment of needs The Way Forward.

The SRIA prioritisation exercise (1/2) Priorities have to come from needs: From the E. A. challenges to progress For the E. A. to achieve sound growth A key focus has to be ‘why are we stagnant in growth terms?’ 1. Simplification of administrative procedure: socio economic research Food for thought – some ideas… How R&D can help in the 4 priority areas defined by the Commission? 2. Spatial planning: adapting modern planning tools 3. Competitiveness: every EATiP goal and subgoal has a meaning here 4. Level playing field.

The SRIA prioritisation exercise (2/2) The real issue is that our companies are not profitable enough – this is not a favourite topic for the research community. Some key points identified so far are not considered "pure" R&D subjects, meaning that there are: political procedural systemic governance Food for thought – some ideas… Consumer and Market Considerations have to be high on the list of considerations towards priorities definition and ranking. constraints to development, thus TA6 and TA8 are very relevant.

The way forward (1/2) If you study the list of projects approved in the last 15 years: There are plenty that are a long way away from the goals defined by consensus in EATiP. They have not given much real development recently. R&D is very far from being efficient in helping European Industry to grow. There is an inflation in the amount of entities devoted to research, in some countries. Dispersion of efforts. A consolidation is needed: we producers are cyclically forced to consolidate. Research laboratories should also be doing so.

The way forward (2/2) A PROPOSAL: Institutions -with decision power to decide where to invest in aquaculture R&D-, need sectoral influence. A kind of “senate” from industry is much needed to help. The acting Board Members of successful companies can be perceived as “suspects” of being interested parties. Should we ask experts from one country to assess other countries? Should they seek advice from “wise entrepreneurs” from the industry? We have to turn the wheel and resolve this dilemma.

The EATiP SRIA and its prioritisation is just one step in the right direction: Now,  We need European Aquaculture to grow  We have to be a profitable industry  We need sound R&D+i.  The European and member states investment should be advised by private experts.