The UK Seafood Innovation Fund supported the UK’s fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries to deliver cutting-edge technology and innovation. By supporting ambitious projects with a long-term view, the fund kick-started a step-change in the productivity and sustainability of UK seafood into the future.
The SIF programme is part of the government’s UK Seafood Fund. The SIF programme forms part of the Science and Innovation pillar. Defra administer the Fisheries Industry Science Partnership scheme (UK FISP) which is also part of the Science and Innovation pillar.
Running from 2019 to 2025, the SIF programme, administered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) ran four funding calls. SIF funded feasibility study projects up to £50,000, whilst R&D project funding ranged from £85,000 to just over £600,000.
The programme supported projects that aimed to deliver longer-term, cutting-edge innovation across the seafood sector and supply chain, from early-stage research to commercial viability.
Innovators ranged from experts in the seafood space – cutting-edge businesses within the fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors – to innovative thinkers in tech, engineering, data science and app development.
The UK Seafood Innovation Fund ran open competitions, and welcomed applications from both inside and outside of the seafood sector. The idea, technology or product had to benefit the sustainability and/or productivity of the UK seafood industry.
The fund was open to all organisations who had an innovative idea meeting the objectives of the fund. Non-UK organisations could apply as a project lead or could be part of an application as a subcontractor, but the project had to demonstrate strong links with the UK seafood sector. Collaborative projects including both seafood sector experts and technology businesses were encouraged.
‘Disruptive innovations’ should bring techniques, skills and processes that can improve on current practices and bring significant benefit to the sector. Watch our film on what innovation means to SIF here.
Disruptive innovations may have the potential to be scaled up and could be applicable to any part of the seafood supply chain – from boat or farm to plate.
Examples of disruptive innovation may include, but are not limited to:
Innovations in feed, biotechnology, health, robotics, logistics, storage.
Innovations in gear, bycatch reduction, improving catch recordings, logistics, storage, transport.
Innovations in robotics, logistics, traceability, packaging, storage.
Innovations in logistics, traceability, packaging, supermarket storage, selling point tools.
Innovations in fishing gear around target catch, bycatch avoidance and selectivity, monitoring and reporting of harvesting activity.
New, intuitive tools for making decisions on purchase or consumption.
Innovations in traceability, artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, satellite technologies, big data and marketing tools.
Innovations leading to better working conditions for fishers and fish-farmers, or that lead to higher welfare for animals within the supply chain.
In the context of the UK Government declaring a ‘climate emergency’, innovations are required that reduce carbon impacts of aquaculture and fishing, accelerate or enhance best practice in this area, and effectively raise awareness of low-carbon options already available.
Identification and development of innovations may require:
This funding programme was administered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Cefas was selected to administer the fund due to its extensive knowledge, skills and experience in and around the seafood sector and related industries.
All applications to the fund were assessed as per a three-step assessment process set out on the FAQ page. Any information contained within applications to the fund, or within Expression of Interest (EOI) submissions, was kept strictly confidential and was not shared outside of the SIF management teams without permission.
There was a requirement for Executive Board and Steering Group members to have expert knowledge of the seafood sector and related industries, and it was therefore likely that conflicts of interest would arise during the assessment process. When discussing specific applications, members of either group declared and documented any conflict of interest prior to discussing each application, and the relevant members did not have any influence over or involvement in decision making for the given application. There was no opportunity for Steering Group members to influence the decision making for applications from their own organisations. An independent Chair was been appointed to the Steering Group to monitor the application review process and ensure it was open, fair and transparent throughout.
Further information about the role and membership of the SIF Steering Group and Executive Board is outlined below.
Comprising representatives from the fisheries, aquaculture, academic, regulatory and innovation sectors, the Steering Group provided invaluable advice to ensure that the UK Seafood Innovation Fund supported a breadth of innovative projects. The Steering Group met regularly to keep abreast with the fund’s progress.
The Steering Group also had a crucial role in reviewing applications to the fund. Once the group reached consensus, they made recommendations to the UK Seafood Innovation Fund Executive Board about which projects should receive funding.
To ensure a holistic, transparent and UK-wide approach in administering funds, the Executive Board had the final say over which projects would be funded under the UK Seafood Innovation Fund, based on the recommendations from the Steering Group.
Our Administration Support staff from the SIF programme management team were part of the Executive Board to provide administrative support to the board. These members are clearly indicated as such below and were not voting members of the board.
Executive Board Chair
Neil Hornby
Chief Executive
The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)
Kerry I’Anson
Administration Support (non-voting member)
Senior Project Manager, Seafood Innovation Fund
The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)
Gemma Loveday
Administration Support (non-voting member)
Secretariat, Seafood Innovation Fund
The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)
Representative from the Department for Environment, Farming & Rural Affairs (Defra)
Representative from the Government of Northern Ireland
Representative from the Government of Scotland
Representative from the Government of Wales