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Innovation & Technologie Anfrage

Seeking researchers and companies to join aquaponic systems with vertical living wall systems to grow fish and vegetal products

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Reference Number: TRUK20170823001
Publication Date: 23 August 2017

Summary

A UK university research group are seeking commercial and academic partners with expertise and experience in aquaponics, urban agriculture or living walls to co-develop a new system that employs aquaponic systems and vertical living walls to grow produce. They are seeking partners with existing technology or research to co-develop the innovation, or to join funding bids within H2020, via technical  cooperation or research cooperation agreements.

Description

Aquaponics has great potential to provide sustainable, local, healthy fish and vegetal produce, using less water, less nutrients and with less impact on the environment. Whereas aquaponic systems usually grow vegetables horizontally, on rafts and within gravel or NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) beds, living walls grow plants vertically. As with aquaponics, living wall systems are being researched and modified to be more effective and these are now investigated as part of vertical farming systems. As opposed to traditional hydroponics, which utilises horizontal beds, vertical farming could have significant benefits. These systems have the potential to grow more produce in any given area as the plant growing footprint extends into the volumetric area of a space and is thus not confined to the horizontal two dimensional footprint of the space. Combining these technologies raises key issues which relate to energy, use, management practices, efficiency and productivity, and lighting tec.

The UK research group are seeking companies with an interest in this or other researchers with similar interests to co-develop a combination of these technologies towards new applications, or to join H2020 funding bids, via technical cooperation or research cooperation agreements.

Expertise sought

Innovations in this area would be economically advantageous. Connecting aquaponics with vertical growing bed technology will create efficient cost effective and sustainable designs, which would allow partners to potentially provide consultancy and/or the sale of these new systems. The systems could have IP value.

The research group currently focuses on the ‘Green Cities Agenda' and has expertise and facilities in the design of green roofs, living walls and urban agriculture, including an aquaponics lab. They are seeking a range of possible partners for developing and testing new innovative systems. The group have already successfully collaborated with a number of European partners that have provided equipment for co-development and testing.

Requested partner

- Type of partner sought: Company or university/research institution



- Specific area of activity of the partner: Aquaponics, green roofs, living walls, urban agriculture, vertical farming



- Task to be performed by the partner sought: Provision of innovative research or products that combine the two technologies of aquaponics and vertical living walls, towards the co-development of new applications for growing vegetables within living walls.