Continued major investment in Blue Food

Blue food hub gets funding until 2029

The Swedish Research Council Formas has granted funding to Blå mat - center for the future of seafood, for another four years.

In total, Blå mat will receive SEK 40 million from Formas during the period. The decision also enables strong co-financing from the center's partners and other financiers.

- "We are extremely pleased that we have been given continued confidence to drive our joint work in the center formation forward. It shows that we are on the right track and that food from the sea and lake is becoming a more important part of the content of our plates," says Lillemor Lindberg, Innovation Manager at Innovatum Science Park and responsible for Responsible Research and Innovation in the center formation.

Positive evaluation

In the application for continued funding, the Blue Food consortium - five universities, two research institutes, a science park and three representatives of the industry - has presented what the center has achieved so far, the plans for the next four years and how the activities are intended to continue into the 2030s. All of this has been reviewed by Formas evaluators with positive results.

In addition to Formas' funding, Blå Mat's partners are contributing around SEK 18 million.

A clearer focus on health

During the second phase, the ongoing research within Blue Food will be complemented with a clearer focus on health, AI and digitalization, economic analysis, and laws and regulations. Blue Food will work towards the vision"...to support increased production, processing and consumption of innovative, sustainable and healthy seafood in Sweden through cutting-edge research and knowledge building as well as collaboration and co-creation with all parts of society."

In the second period, the Blue Mat consortium gains a new member in the Axfoundation, which has been an active partner during the first four years.