We have written elsewhere about the objectives of the finfish.org effort.

Clearly, however, if we are going to be successful in overcoming the fish production gap, then we will need to connect with companies, organisations and individuals globally and have them recognise the value of participating in this. Connecting means actually mobilising then realising valuable outcomes as a result of independent entities world-wide pursuing distributed, collaborative and cumulative aquaculture innovation.

What might motivate such independent entities to contribute their permission, their attention and actually commit resources to this effort?

Part of the answer to this lies in the fact that we are using the approach of open innovation to conduct this effort. The concept of open innovation is logical, presents compelling prospects and its core concepts are widely accepted. However, beyond the few often quoted stories of US mega companies such as Procter & Gamble and Eli Lilly there does not appear to be great deal of publicly available, practical information about successful practice.

Perhaps this might help explain some of the doubts anxieties and confusion over what to do and how to do it? One can imagine the array of fears that might arise would include the usual concerns where collaboration is concerned:

• who else is involved?
• who owns what intellectual property?
• how can we avoid losing control?

However, the benefits that companies, organisations and individuals can gain by participating in this project are absolutely compelling. They include:

• access to free market, industry and technology information and research
• knowledge of benchmarks for the measurement of what constitutes ‘world class’ performance now and in the future for aquaculture products and services
• the opportunity to create new aquaculture knowledge with other highly capable individuals and entities that you would not normally meet
• the ability to engage in dialogues with important organisations concerning market, industry and technology issues
• practical learning by doing mastery of open innovation skills and capabilities
• defining and participating in valuable projects
• acquiring practical experience in open innovation that allows the gap to be closed between potential and actual value
• the opportunity to participate in a best of breed process that will inform the conduct of industry and corporate innovation practice into the future

This suite of benefits should be compelling to those individuals and organisations intent on being part of the aquaculture market in the future.

What’s your take on this? We’d welcome your thoughts as well as your involvement.

One of the key factors that has driven the long term trend of increasing per capita fish intake across the globe is that fish consumption is promoted by nutritionists as a very important component of a healthy diet. Current thinking has targeted the Omega-3 fatty acid content of fish oils as a major contributor to the healthy diet aspects of fish eating.

Farmed fish require feed with specific protein and oil components in order to grow. Traditionally, the lion’s share of this has been derived from wild stocks of ‘feed fish’. However, even a cursory appreciation of the numbers and what we know about today’s feed conversion ratios make it apparent that it will not be sustainable to overcome the fish production gap using wild caught fish to feed farmed fish. Does the pressure on feed fish stocks mean that there is a prospect that Omega-3 fatty acids will disappear from farmed fish? Does this mean that a fundamental limiter exists that will prevent us from ever bridging the fish production gap?

Significant efforts are being made now to overcome this limiter with efforts being put into developing high protein grain-based replacements for feed fish (soy, lupins, etc). Genetically engineered plants which produce essential omega-3 fish oils could offer a new way of improving people’s diets, scientists working on an EU project said at a conference on ‘Incorporating Omega 3 in the food chain’. Long-chain fatty acids called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found mainly in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring, provide protection against cardiovascular diseases, slow down mental decline in the elderly and are essential for the healthy development of a baby’s brain in the womb.

Whilst experts recommend a daily intake of 450mg of omega-3 fatty acids, most adults barely manage half that amount. Among teenagers, the figure drops to just 100mg a day, and intake in low-income families is around 50mg per day less than in other families.

There are no naturally occurring plant species that have the capacity to synthesise long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. EPA and DHA are normally made by microscopic marine algae which are then eaten by small fish, passing the fatty acids into the food chain. Research conducted as part of the Lipgene project took key genes from algae and inserted them into oil seed. The results show that the plants were able to synthesise omega-3 fatty acids in their seed oils.

These outcomes show promise that GM-enhanced plant sources may be suitable suppliers of both protein and Omega-3 oils in manufactured aquaculture feed and that a sustainable route to overcoming the fish gap is potentially feasible.

More information about the Lipgene Project is available here.

We provide more resources for identifying innovation components for significant aquaculture innovation. Some examples of relevant innovation components found from these sources may be reviewed here.

The purpose of this page is to provide a collection point for innovative aquaculture technologies capable of making a significant contribution towards achieving sustainable large scale aquaculture production. Please take the opportunity to make people aware of technologies that you are keen to see taken up by leaving a reply in the box at the base of this page.

Nutrition

Project focused on developing novel fish feeds, replacing fish oils with vegetable oils. The Project’s objectives included examining the effects of this change on fish metabolism, behaviour and marketability. Also investigated was the impact that the change in diet on the taste of the fish. Results showed that vegetable-oil-based feeds had minor effects on the organoleptic properties of fish in comparison to fish-oil-based feeds. The new feeds also appeared not to impact product quality and storage facilities were considered more important than dietary treatment. Further information about the project can be accessed here.

Finishing Diet

Project involved the development of finishing feeds and evaluation of their impact on growth performance and final product, initially at laboratory scale. The feed quality and the feeding strategies applied were assessed employing quality parameters such as visual appearance, slaughter quality, shelf life, cooking quality, sensorial and nutritional qualities. Verification trials were performed for sea bream and sole in earthen ponds, land-based cultured systems and cages. Two groups of different nutritional history and growth rates were treated with high energy (HE) and low energy (LE) diets. The crude fat was 7% lower in the finishing diet while the protein content was maintained in both diets. Laboratory and farm trials demonstrated that the sea bream growth performance was improved when fed with finishing feed compared to farm feed. More about this project is available here and here.

Nutrition

Project aims to identify the importance of calcium in the diet and other sources and to elucidate the link between this and another physiologically important mineral, phosphorus. Trials were conducted using the sea bream, a very common livestock and commercially important product in the fish farming industry. With low salinity and a calcium-deficient diet the sea bream have automatically limited access to calcium. Under these circumstances, the fish showed marked restriction in growth. More information about the project can be found here.

Consistent Quality Criteria

Project considered the color, shape, texture and odor of various parts of the fish (eyes, skin, gills, etc.) to a simple scale that varies from 0 to 2 (where 0 is the freshest). The various scores are added up and the total (the quality index) determines whether the fish is classified as excellent, good, acceptable or unacceptable quality. Using this Quality Index Method (QIM), the lower the score, the better. With respect to fish muscle analyses, the K1 value is a more appropriate indicator of freshness than the TVB-N value. Since the nutritional value of the fish is an important consideration, the amounts of the beneficial fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were also determined. Finally, since subjectivity plays an important role in the assessment of fish quality, a small (3-5 person) panel of experts should be created. Using these criteria, the fish farmers can quickly check the quality of their fish in a consistent fashion. More about the project is available here.

Plant Protein in Feed

Project focused on the introduction of plant protein sources in fish farm feeds, in an effort to minimise the use of fish meal. A key concern of was the effect of replacing fish meal with plant protein sources on the fish immune system. The rainbow trout and the gilthead sea bream, were chosen as the focus of the study. The analysis included partial and total replacement studies in both species. It was shown that plant proteins enhanced antioxidant defences in both fish species. Total replacement by plant proteins, however, resulted in unfavourable consequences. These effects included reduction in complement activity (affecting immune responses) and liver steatosis (build-up of fat in liver cells). Further studies showed growth impairment in rainbow trout fed solely on plant protein sources. More about the project is available here.

More?

If you are interested in identifying additional innovative aquaculture technologies please use the resources available here.

The aim of this post is to create a collection point for open innovation web sites that offer innovation components up for trade. An objective is to provide innovators seeking to locate innovation components with a place from which to embark on their search.

You might care to contribute by sharing your views on the usefulness of some of these innovation component collections or by raising our awareness to collections we are yet to identify.

Our stated focus is on aquaculture but there is a wide variety of disciplines that can be involved in the delivery of aquaculture product from a glint in the eye of a couple of milt and egg contributors on some romantic sandy stream bottom through to the presentation of sashimi or gormand bait in a six star restaurant. Given this we are pleased to include in our list all forms of innovation component collections not just this from sources of aquaculture IP.

Here is the beginnings of our resource list:

BirchBob helps customers who are selling and buying technologies. BirchBob identifies technology seekers and thereby meets offers and demands. By the same token, BirchBob’s ability for marketing innovation is directly related to contacts made in the course of its Procurement business.

yet2.com is focused on bringing buyers and sellers of technologies together so that all parties maximize the return on their investments. Whether you are working with a team of our licensing experts or using our virtual technology marketplace, yet2.com offers companies and individuals the tools and expertise to acquire, sell, license, and leverage some of the world’s most valuable intellectual assets.

YourEncore is a network of retired and veteran scientists and engineers providing our clients with proven experience to help accelerate their pace of innovation. We are uniquely positioned to help our clients recover lost knowledge and to enable them to make remarkable connections to solve challenging problems using expertise from a variety of industries.

NineSigma enables clients to source innovative ideas, technologies, products and services from outside their organizations quickly and inexpensively by connecting them to the best innovators and solution providers from around the world. Our unique “Discover-Connect-Solve” approach is based upon the principles of Open Innovation. Our clients access the largest and most comprehensive open network of scientific researchers in the world to solve their business needs.

UTEK is a technology transfer company focused on open innovation. UTEK enables its clients to find and acquire technologies from universities and research laboratories worldwide. UTEK has developed a proprietary database of intellectual properties available for immediate license, which combined with its network of over 2,000 universities and research laboratories provides its clients with access to external innovation.

The Innocentive Open Innovation Marketplace, allows Seekers- commercial, academic, and nonprofit organizations - to draw on a global network of Solvers - more than 125,000 engineers, scientists, inventors, and business people - to meet challenging needs and move their organizations forward in various areas.

Strategic Allies, have experience in the global search for innovative technologies, products, strategic alliances and other business growth generating opportunities.

AUTM, the Association of University Technology Managers includes a search engine for university, non profit and for profit organisations on its website.

CORDIS technology marketplace is a free on line service of the European Union where you can find research and technological development results and search for innovative business opportunities on emerging technologies.

The InnovationXchange (IXC) is a commercially neutral, not-for-profit, global knowledge network which delivers the ground breaking IXC Intermediary Service to business and research - a new way to find the connections you need.

US Agriculture Research Service - ARS continually looks for opportunities to partner with businesses, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and universities. These partnerships are designed to augment research programs, expedite research results to the private sector, exchange information and knowledge, stimulate new business.

Please make your contributions by leaving a reply below.

To find out more about open innovation, you might care to check out some of Henry Chesbrough’s work. Henry is credited with having originated the term open innovation and has authored a couple of books which describe the development of open innovation practices.

His books are as follows:

Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting From Technology

Open Business Models: How to Thrive in the New Innovation Landscape

Click the above links and you will be taken through to brief discussions of these books.

Other writings by Henry Chesbrough include:

Henry W. Chesbrough, The Era of Open Innovation, MIT Sloan management review, Vol. 44, Nº 3, 2003 , pags. 35-41

The Logic of Open Innovation: Managing Intellectual Property, California Management Review, ISSN 0008-1256, Vol. 45, Nº 3, 2003, pags. 33-58

A Better Way to Innovate, Harvard Business Review, ISSN 0017-8012, Vol. 81, Nº 7, 2003, pags. 12-13

Organizing for Innovation: When Is Virtual Virtuous? David J. Teece, Henry W. Chesbrough, Harvard Business Review, ISSN 0017-8012, Vol. 80, Nº 8, 2002, pags. 127-135

We would certainly appreciate any additional Chesbrough links that you think are worthwhile drawing to our attention. Please comment to add relevant resources.

The concept of ‘open innovation’ is making a significant impact on the ability of organisations and individuals to develop new products and services and create competitive advantages.

Naturally enough, open innovation is usually described by comparison with its opposite - closed innovation. Closed innovation describes the practice of keeping innovation efforts confined within the four walls of an organisation. It is usually described by referring to an industrial company that introduces only those new products developed by employees within its R&D department. In contrast, open innovation is about introducing ‘virtual’ or ‘outsourced’ aspects to how innovation is managed.

Open innovation practices have been promoted by economic trends such as the increased cost of R&D, escalating technological complexity, the increased tendancy for valuable inventive steps to occur at the interface between fields of knowledge (eg bio-informatics, materials-electronics etc etc) and enhanced communication via telecommunications, travel and internet.

Open innovation refers to the practice of drawing together the components of a new product or service from a number of sources, including sources external to the innovating organisation. One of the most memorable statements used when describing open innovation is “not all the smart guys work for us”. That is, it is possible to take advantage of the opportunity to access ’smart guys’ (not employed by you) to help build your business.

There are many and varied means to access the other smart guys. Alternative transaction types you might consider include:

• consultancy
• contract R&D
• technology licensing
• alliance
• joint venture
• acquisition or merger with a business

The result of the transaction is that you have defined rights to make use of some knowledge or intellectual property or capability that you did not have before.