Organisations and people with innovative ideas that could benefit the seafood industry have been invited to apply for the second round of funding from the Seafish Industry and Partnership Project Fund.
The second tranche of £600,000 is currently available and Seafish is welcoming all sectors of the industry, from catching through to retail, to apply.
Seafish Development Director, Jon Harman, says the fund provides funding for research and development partnership projects, grant assistance for innovative ideas and bursaries for students.
"I am pleased to announce the second call for proposals for this fund, following the successful first round last autumn, which resulted in 15 projects being commissioned. These included research into supply chains, marine conservation and reducing discards in nephrops.
"We are now looking for more projects that deliver value for money, foster innovation and enable new talent to enter our industry."
Those wishing to apply for the funding are encouraged to discuss the project with Seafish. Staff are available to guide them in their application and advise if the project could be strengthened by working in partnership with other individuals or bodies.
There is a ten-week period between the call for proposals and the final submission date to give applicants time to prepare. Applicants should submit the documents, available to download from the Seafish website, no later than 23 March 2007. The projects will be reviewed by the appropriate Seafish Advisory Committee in early April and subject to a final appraisal by the Seafish Board for potential inclusion in the 2007/08 budget. A similar exercise will be undertaken with bids for the Seafish Aquaculture project fund.
The next call for proposals will be made in June 2007 for consideration at the autumn round of Advisory Committee meetings, and future calls will follow on a regular June and November pattern each year.
More information on the Industry Project Fund can be obtained by visiting www.seafish.org/funding.asp
