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T h e B l u e E n v i r o n m e n t a l H u b

Brixham Laboratory Exploiting the Potential for a Sustainable

Aquaculture and Fisheries Centre of Excellence

Seafish Aquaculture Common Interest Group 5 April 2017

History of Brixham Laboratory

•1948—Founded by ICI Paints as a testing facility •1957—Moved to current location •1979—Obtains Good Lab Practice (GLP certification) •1993—Transferred to Zeneca Limited •1999—Became part of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals •2008—Major expansion with state of the art animal husbandry and environmental fate facilities •2013—AstraZeneca announces intention to close BEL and transfer the assets to Plymouth University •2014—Creation of Brixham Laboratory—A Blue Environmental Hub

Brixham Laboratory - 1953

Block H Block M Block B

Brixham Laboratory

Build an Environment of Collaboration

Anchor Tenant

Block M

Sustainable Fisheries Centre of

Excellence Block H

Aquaculture Block D

Research & Incubation labs

Block H

Training & Workshops

Block C & H

Office and Innovation Space

Block B

GLP Archive Block K

Current Status

• 75+% Occupancy of Productive Space • 25 Organisations with about 125 people

Scymaris anchoring Block M Photonics Cluster in Block H (1st Floor) Assorted tech startups and other

businesses in Blocks B, C, & D Conference, meeting and training rooms South Devon College-Galley Café

• Devon & Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority

• Fishermen’s Mission • Fishing Into the Future • ARC Marine

Block H Overview

• Large 2-storey office style building that dates back to the late 1980’s

• Approx. 27,500 square feet

• Laboratory accommodation with some offices at ground and first floor levels 10 Chemistry 20 cellular Environmental

Effects laboratories

Exploring the Feasibility

• Executive sponsors and project managers 145 stakeholders

contacted from 97 organisations or projects

47 completed surveys (32% response rate) from 42 organisations (43%)

20+ Follow-up interviews On-site Stakeholder

Workshop

Innovation and R&D May Offer Foremost Value to the Sector

Aquaculture, fisheries and seafood sector

training and advisory services

Business incubation and support for

seafood sector start-up companies

Innovation, research,

development and piloting of new

methodologies or technologies in

support of aquaculture and

fisheries

Public engagement, education and outreach

Regulation and management support

Research and analyses for fishery conservation

and management of marine resources

50%

4%

15% 9%

15%

7%

Business Spin-Off May Leverage the Value of Innovation and R&D



Business incubation and support for seafood sector

start-up companies

Innovation, research, development and

piloting of new methodologies or

technologies in support of aquaculture and

fisheries





26%

31%

9% 17%

2%

15%

Training and Advisory Services May Supplement the Value Proposition

Aquaculture, fisheries and

seafood sector training and

advisory services






fisheries





11%

17%

28%

13%

9%

15%

Regulation & Management Support Offer the Least Value








fisheries


Regulation and management

support



22%

2%

9% 9%

25% 33%

Relative Value Priorities Less Value More Value

Creating & Supporting New Methodologies or Technologies Would Help the Sector Grow

Research and analyses for fishery conservation and management of marine resources

Innovation, research, development and piloting of new methodologies or technologies

Aquaculture, fisheries and seafood sector training and advisory services

Business incubation and support for seafood sector start-up companies



A View of the Overall UK Sector Lab Support

Key Strengths Expertise Track record Links to Industry Location (Scotland) Facilities

Constraints Lack of Funding / Resources Limited ability to focus on

• Pragmatic issues • Problems of producers • Services to business

Overly focused on • Regulation • Novel / academic research • Large subsector of aquaculture

Insufficient communication with industry

Opportunities Breeding R&D

• Aquaria • Aquaculture for fisheries enhancement

Disease management Alternatives for fishmeal Shellfish hatchery Interactions between aquaculture &

environment / fisheries

Threats Potential for excess capacity Continued funding issues Lack of access to EU Opportunities

Stakeholders are Interested in the Opportunity

Is now the right time to create a centre or laboratory that addresses these issues?

Considerations for a New Centre

Yes • Huge demand for seafood / protein

creates opportunities • Aquaculture sector expanding in

the region • Brixham main fishing port in the

UK outside of Scotland • Fishermen need help diversifying • Need to improve sector horizon

scanning • Opportunity to improve how we

collaborate and support the sector

No / Not Sure • Are there gaps in research /

R&D services? • What is the business case? • Is there a local aquaculture

industry with needs • Can we justify funding a new

venture post-Brexit?

Stakeholder Workshop 25+ Participants over two days Agenda

• Strategic Focus of the Site • Identifying Stakeholder Priorities • Capability and Repurposing • Matching Priorities and Capability • Gaps and Overlaps – Relationships

with Other Labs • Developing Research and Service

Themes • Options for Business Models • Funding and Revenue Streams

Emergent Themes

• Aquaculture: R&D with a focus on early stage shellfish to ensure consistent

supply of seed R&D of husbandry methodologies for marine aquarium

specimens to reduce wild-collection

• Testing Services: R&D of distributed testing methodologies to support producers

in identifying biological hazards and other contaminants Speciation testing methodologies for product quality—and

possibly for traceability

• Collaborative approaches to improving stock assessments and traceability

• Technical Innovations that ‘disrupt’ existing processes

Hatchery & Aquaculture Technologies

Opportunities: • Reliable supply of seed/spat

for shellfish production Scallops, mussels, etc.

• Hatchery cultivation of other valuable or novel species Crawfish

• Genetic manipulation R&D e.g. triploidy, disease resistance

• Piloting sea-based on-growing techniques

• Efficacy testing for fish pharmaceuticals

Challenges: • Fluctuations in market

demand for seed/spat • Cost of production compared

to wild seed • How to preserve genetic

diversity • Facility constraints and

scalability

Aquarium & Ornamental Species

Opportunities: • Most specimens remain sourced

from wild capture Native marine fish more difficult to

source High mortality rate

• Configuration of Brixham labs may be conducive to small specimen breeding Need for research and development

for different species

• Few large scale programmes • Potential to connect educational

and conservation efforts

Challenges: • Lack of a zoological

stakeholder to sponsor • High costs of cultivated

species compared to wild sourced

• Lack of technical capability to cultivate diverse species

• Ethical considerations inhibit monetisation of trade Many aquariums attempt to

“grow their own” and / or barter

Testing Services

Opportunities: • Sector concerns around

turnaround time and production • Aquaculture / Harvesting

Water quality • Toxins and contamination • Early warning of algal blooms or toxin flumes

• Food processing Speciation Fraud and Mislabeling

• 20% of the world’s seafood products subject to fraud

• More than half of samples found to present risk to health

Supply chain quality assurance • Speciation testing for processors is about £9-

15m annually

Challenges: • Insufficient volume for creating a

new business • Competitive global market for

food testing Intertek, Bureau Veritas, SGS, and

Det Norske Verita account for 45% of demand

Industry consolidation underway

• Mature reference laboratory relationships and supporting labs in place

Disruptive Technology

Opportunities: • Gear innovation and research • Hand-held and other distributed

testing technologies • Cryogenic and other approaches to

consistent supply of spat • New sea-based husbandry

technologies • Remote monitoring of stock, algal

blooms, environmental conditions Data / meta-data capture and analytics

• Autonomous vessels / drones for monitoring-–and capture

Challenges: • Horizon scanning • Early stage funding and

investment • Connecting academic

research with industry challenges

• Raising profile of initiative and establishing reputation of the hub

Collaborative Research

• Work with the regional fleet, regulators and researchers to monitor impact and develop mitigation strategies

• Specialist research and problem solving services

• Sponsored and externally funded research • Graduate placements, work experience

and internships • MSc Programmes • PhD and academic chair sponsorships • Industry workshops and continuing

education • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

Operating Model: Option 1

Opportunity: • Original concept was a

stand-alone lab occupying Block H Initial annual operating

costs in the region of £800k -1.2m

Stand-alone governance • TBD: Profit vs non-profit;

limited company; CIC

• Provides single vision / direction of travel

Challenges: • How to find a sponsor /

“owner” • Perceived as

High risk Competition with existing

labs—esp. CEFAS

• Dependent on seed funding and grants in early years EU Funding unlikely

Operating Model: Option 2 Opportunity:

• Separate entrepreneurial and/or independent researchers working in specific technologies and approaches Can be any one of for profit,

non-profit, University affiliated or independent

• Relatively low-risk • Provides a unique offer

Estimated costs from about £30k (workshop ideas) to £120k annual costs depending on offer

Challenges: • Lacks “controlling mind” that

keeps it focused on core purpose

• How to ensure horizon scanning function

• How to integrate / focus disparate ideas to needs

• How to create a unified offer

The Offer: An Industry Focused Hub

• Provides lab and office space on a flexible basis Shared facilities or private space Easy-in; easy-out (“licence to occupy”) or flexible

leases (up to five years subject to negotiations) “Hotel” labs—“self-catering” or managed in

conjunction with Scymaris and/or Plymouth University

Research in Residence-- • Potential to bridge licences (subject to

negotiation) Good Lab Practice (GLP)—Scymaris Radio-chem—P.U. or Scymaris Home-office—P.U. or Scymaris Seawater abstraction / discharge—P.U.

Communications and Outreach Tools

• Digital hub • Social platforms • Digital news digest • Publications • Developing &

maintaining contacts database

• Annual event cycle

A Brixham Hub Can: • Exploit upscale, ready-to-play facilities • Differentiate itself as a “market led” centre

promoting interaction between academic research, knowledge and innovation, and the commercial sector—with an emphasis on aquaculture and fisheries

• Work with fishermen to innovate mitigation strategies for implementing new sustainable practices and complying with more rigorous regulations

• Serve as a hub for innovation in aquaculture: Understanding the needs and impact of scaling up aquaculture

activities Developing techniques for culture of challenging species for wider

public benefit

Benefits of a Sector “Hub”

• Reduced Barrier To Entry • First class laboratory facilities • Equipment and processes in situ

• Increased Visibility • Access to fisheries and shellfish

producers • Access To Resources • Access to Talent • Partnerships, skills development

and knowledge transfer

Next Steps

• Submit final report to Seafish • Agree the way forward and action plan Consider MoU joint marketing agreement between

Plymouth University and Seafish Agree governance structure and partners Follow-on Stakeholder Alignment Workshop

brixham laboratory - seafish€¦ · brixham laboratory . exploiting the potential for a...

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