Master student Sven Gastauer, who completed his master thesis at the University of Bangor in cooperation with Sustainovate, Liegruppen AS and the Institute for Marine Research in Bergen, Norway (IMR), was awarded a distinction mark on his thesis and an overall degree, master of sciencewith distinction in Marine Environmental Protection.

The thesis was under supervision of Prof. Dr. Michel Kaiser and Sytse Ybema.

You can download the full thesis here

Sustainovate project: Kennisuitbreiding pelagische visbestanden. Het project moet inzicht verschaffen over de inzet van bedrijfsschepen voor studies naar pelagische vis. Het inzetten van bedrijfsschepen zou bij kunnen dragen tot kennisverbreding van de pelagische visbestanden.

Ook wordt samengewerkt met Noorse experts op het gebied van dataverzameling op zee. Hoofdaanvrager Sustainovate is een consultancybedrijf voor marien business development. Er wordt samengewerkt met een organisatie voor pelagische visserij en Nederlandse en Noorse kennisinstellingen.

Voor de subsidieregeling ‘Collectieve acties in de visketen’, die voor de vierde keer was opengesteld, zijn twintig projecten goedgekeurd. Deze projecten stimuleren samenwerkingsvormen in de visserijsector. Bij deze projecten werkt het visserijbedrijfsleven onderling samen of samen met maatschappelijke organisaties, onderzoekers en lokale overheden. Ook voor deze regeling was 2 miljoen euro beschikbaar. Het Visserij Innovatie Platform (VIP) heeft de projecten gerangschikt op kwaliteit. De beste projecten zijn geselecteerd en aan de staatssecretaris voorgelegd. De 4 miljoen subsidie komt voor 30 procent uit het Europees Visserij Fonds. Bleker stelt beide regelingen van 1 tot en met 31 maart 2011 nog een keer open voor in totaal 4,5 miljoen euro. Hiervan zal 1,5 miljoen euro beschikbaar zijn voor de regeling ‘Innovatie in de visketen’ en 3 miljoen euro voor ‘Collectieve acties in de visketen’.

I found this interesting topic, posted on LinkedIn group 'Innovatie 2.0' by Guus Loehlefink.

"Although one would expect that a grant could boost innovation, my experience is that it has precisely the opposite effect. A few points:

• Grants come with so many conditions that they do not reach to those who need it, but often those who are good in applications. Of course you could hire someone to do the application for you, but in most cases, a large chunk of this public money will not reach its goal.
• After being granted you enter a sticky web that helps kill all of your creativity. You could continue your initial approach, but soon you’ll be accused of fraud. Procedures take precedence over everything and budget justification becomes more important that the end result.
• Living of grants is addictive. A cut in subsidy is often fatal. This is because regulations slow down an entrepreneurial mindset. Non-entrepreneurial applicants can perhaps start with a subsidy, but would not succeed in keeping their innovation alive..

Why don’t we use tax deduction as a mechanism to stimulate innovation? Or the market mechanism: after having successfully passed competition you could earn your freedom"

Master student 'Sven Gastauer' has joined a field survey with Norway's most advanced fishing trawler 'LIBAS'. The trawler has been chartered by the Norwegian Institute for Marine Research in Bergen to study herring, mackerel and blue whiting in the Norwegian Sea. Sven is live reporting from the Norwegian Sea!

One of the most challanging tasks of the Russian fishing fleet is fleet modernization: there is a strong need for progressive technologies – necessary conditions for increasing the efficiency of the Russian fishing fleet.

Sustainovate attended the Norwegian-Russian Business Conference on the occasion of the planned state visit to Norway by the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry  Medvedev. Many ongoing, promising solutions, products and companies were mentioned in relation to exchange knowledge and competence between Russia and Norway.

For the second time in the history of the North Atlantic Seafood Forum the MareLife innovation Seminar was held in Oslo.

At the main conference, the captains of marine industry look ahead to future market developments, while the innovation seminar hosted open minded trendsetters. The Netherlands has its own Fisheries Innovation Platform (VIP),

Two trendsetting fishing companies, 'Hermes AS ' from Norway and 'The Atlantic Company Ltd. (TASC)' from The Netherlands were put forward by Sustainovate to present their innovative business solutions at the anual North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Oslo.

 

 

 

AAs of July 1 2009 Sustainovate is assisting the MareLife secretariat , managed by Oslo Tekopol.

Although Sustainovate's role within the innovation network is focused on fisheries and other oceanic activities, the secretarial tasks allow the company to familiarize itself with other components of the network, such as aquaculture, venture capital and bio-marine products.

From 1st of July Sustainovate is based in Oslo, Norway where it will actively participate in the MareLife network and start  related international business activities. The Dutch telephone number will still be accessable as well as its direct Norwegian number +47 91381317.

This March delegates from around the world will attend the largest seafood conference in the world, North Atlantic Seafood Forum. Sustainovate will actively participate.

MareLife: "The workshop is unique because we are inviting companies, the best scientific environments, trendsetters in seafood, finance, and the public sector to work together in a constellation that would otherwise not exist. In this way we hope to expand the boundaries of cooperation and exploit synergies and creative energy".

For more information about the Forum please vist the Official Site.