Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EASYTRAIN (Eco-Innovative Aquaculture System Training for European Industrial Doctorates)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-03-01 bis 2025-02-28
EASYTRAIN has addressed one of the major global challenges of our time: the need to produce healthy, high-quality food in a sustainable and resource-efficient manner to meet the demands of a growing population. Aquaponics offers a promising solution, integrating fish and plant production within a closed-loop system where fish waste provides nutrients for plants, and the plants, in turn, purify the water, therefore reducing environmental impact and resource use.
The overall objective of EASYTRAIN was to establish a multidisciplinary network that brings together academic excellence and industry know-how to advance research and innovation in aquaponics. The project combined the complementary expertise of two universities and four industry partners — including aquaponic farming, fish feed production, microalgae biotechnology and aquaculture engineering — to jointly train six Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) through a comprehensive industrial doctorate programme.
Throughout the project, EASYTRAIN has successfully provided the ESRs with hands-on research experience, industry exposure and multidisciplinary training in aquaponics, supporting both their scientific development and future employability. The project has not only generated significant new knowledge in areas such as nutrient dynamics, system design, fish welfare and sustainable feed development, but it has also translated some of these results into practical applications. Notably, some of the research outputs are already being exploited commercially by project partners, demonstrating the strong societal and economic relevance of EASYTRAIN’s results.
EASYTRAIN has thus contributed both to strengthening the European aquaculture and sustainable food production sectors and to building the next generation of skilled professionals capable of addressing future challenges in this field.
The overall objective of EASYTRAIN was to establish a multidisciplinary network that brings together academic excellence and industry know-how to advance research and innovation in aquaponics. The project combined the complementary expertise of two universities and four industry partners — including aquaponic farming, fish feed production, microalgae biotechnology and aquaculture engineering — to jointly train six Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) through a comprehensive industrial doctorate programme.
Throughout the project, EASYTRAIN has successfully provided the ESRs with hands-on research experience, industry exposure and multidisciplinary training in aquaponics, supporting both their scientific development and future employability. The project has not only generated significant new knowledge in areas such as nutrient dynamics, system design, fish welfare and sustainable feed development, but it has also translated some of these results into practical applications. Notably, some of the research outputs are already being exploited commercially by project partners, demonstrating the strong societal and economic relevance of EASYTRAIN’s results.
EASYTRAIN has thus contributed both to strengthening the European aquaculture and sustainable food production sectors and to building the next generation of skilled professionals capable of addressing future challenges in this field.
Throughout the project, EASYTRAIN has successfully achieved its core objective of training six Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the field of aquaponics through a structured and multidisciplinary research programme combining academic excellence and industrial relevance. The ESRs were enrolled in two doctorate programmes and conducted their research both in academic and industrial environments, allowing them to gain first-hand experience of the full research and innovation cycle. Two of the ESRs performed a cotutelled doctorate and have been awarded a double PhD title.
During the second period, the project’s research activities advanced significantly, leading to several scientific and technical results. These include the optimization of nutrient dynamics in aquaponic systems, the development of novel fish feed formulations, and design guidelines for aquaponic bioreactors and system components. The ESRs have presented their work in international conferences such as the European Aquaculture Society AQUA-meetings and published scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge in the field.
In terms of training, the ESRs have successfully completed all foreseen training modules, including two additional ones on “business and entrepreneurship” and “scientific writing and communication,” which complemented their technical skills acquired during the research activities.
One of the key achievements of EASYTRAIN has been the early exploitation of its results. Industrial partners have already started to apply some of the project findings in their commercial activities. In particular, Landing Aquaculture is now offering customized anaerobic sludge blanket reactors based on the design criteria developed by ESR3. One of these reactors, with a capacity of 10,000 liters, has already been sold, demonstrating a concrete example of research valorisation. Sparos and Alga&Zyme are also applying the concepts developed in the project to produce sustainable fish diets and microalgae extracts more efficiently.
Dissemination efforts have been actively pursued throughout the project via scientific publications, conference presentations, stakeholder engagement, and public outreach activities. The project has also contributed to raising public awareness about aquaponics as a sustainable food production system and to strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.
Overall, EASYTRAIN has achieved its goals of generating new knowledge, promoting the industrial application of research findings, and equipping a new generation of researchers with the skills and experience to address sustainability challenges in aquaculture and aquaponics.
During the second period, the project’s research activities advanced significantly, leading to several scientific and technical results. These include the optimization of nutrient dynamics in aquaponic systems, the development of novel fish feed formulations, and design guidelines for aquaponic bioreactors and system components. The ESRs have presented their work in international conferences such as the European Aquaculture Society AQUA-meetings and published scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge in the field.
In terms of training, the ESRs have successfully completed all foreseen training modules, including two additional ones on “business and entrepreneurship” and “scientific writing and communication,” which complemented their technical skills acquired during the research activities.
One of the key achievements of EASYTRAIN has been the early exploitation of its results. Industrial partners have already started to apply some of the project findings in their commercial activities. In particular, Landing Aquaculture is now offering customized anaerobic sludge blanket reactors based on the design criteria developed by ESR3. One of these reactors, with a capacity of 10,000 liters, has already been sold, demonstrating a concrete example of research valorisation. Sparos and Alga&Zyme are also applying the concepts developed in the project to produce sustainable fish diets and microalgae extracts more efficiently.
Dissemination efforts have been actively pursued throughout the project via scientific publications, conference presentations, stakeholder engagement, and public outreach activities. The project has also contributed to raising public awareness about aquaponics as a sustainable food production system and to strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.
Overall, EASYTRAIN has achieved its goals of generating new knowledge, promoting the industrial application of research findings, and equipping a new generation of researchers with the skills and experience to address sustainability challenges in aquaculture and aquaponics.
Throughout the project, EASYTRAIN has made significant progress beyond the state of the art in the development and optimization of aquaponic systems. The work carried out by the ESRs has contributed to the advancement of integrated food production systems by providing new scientific insights and practical solutions in key areas, including fish nutrition, organic waste valorisation, microalgae-based nutrient recovery, and the design and operation of aquaponic reactors.
The research conducted during the second period has validated the feasibility of combining innovative organic feed formulations and waste biotransformation techniques with real-world aquaponic systems. These findings contribute to closing nutrient loops and reducing the environmental footprint of aquaculture and hydroponic crop production. In addition, the development of design guidelines and operational parameters for sludge blanket reactors and microalgae cultivation under varying environmental conditions is enabling the industry to adopt more resource-efficient solutions.
The long-term socio-economic impact of EASYTRAIN is expected as the project has established the foundations for smarter, more resilient aquaponic systems, supporting the transition toward sustainable and circular food production models. The knowledge generated is already being transferred to industry, with early commercial applications demonstrated, and it is expected to continue influencing best practices and system design in aquaponics.
Beyond its technical and scientific outcomes, EASYTRAIN has also fostered positive societal changes by promoting responsible food production and supporting the EU’s strategic goals for sustainable agriculture and the circular economy. The training and professional development of a new generation of aquaponics experts further enhances the project’s impact, ensuring that the knowledge and skills generated will continue to contribute to the sector beyond the project’s lifetime.
The research conducted during the second period has validated the feasibility of combining innovative organic feed formulations and waste biotransformation techniques with real-world aquaponic systems. These findings contribute to closing nutrient loops and reducing the environmental footprint of aquaculture and hydroponic crop production. In addition, the development of design guidelines and operational parameters for sludge blanket reactors and microalgae cultivation under varying environmental conditions is enabling the industry to adopt more resource-efficient solutions.
The long-term socio-economic impact of EASYTRAIN is expected as the project has established the foundations for smarter, more resilient aquaponic systems, supporting the transition toward sustainable and circular food production models. The knowledge generated is already being transferred to industry, with early commercial applications demonstrated, and it is expected to continue influencing best practices and system design in aquaponics.
Beyond its technical and scientific outcomes, EASYTRAIN has also fostered positive societal changes by promoting responsible food production and supporting the EU’s strategic goals for sustainable agriculture and the circular economy. The training and professional development of a new generation of aquaponics experts further enhances the project’s impact, ensuring that the knowledge and skills generated will continue to contribute to the sector beyond the project’s lifetime.