Norway awards NOK 1.24 billion for research infrastructure, boosting Nofima's Aquafeed Technology Centre

The Research Council of Norway has awarded NOK 1.24 billion (€110 million) to strengthen research and innovation infrastructure, with Nofima's Aquafeed Technology Centre among 18 projects selected in the latest funding round, according to a report by World Fishing & Aquaculture published on 25 September 2026.

The funding will support Phase II of the Aquafeed Technology Centre, which is operated by Nofima in collaboration with the University of Bergen and NORCE. All funded projects are part of the Norwegian Roadmap for Research Infrastructure.

Tor Andreas Samuelsen of Nofima, who heads the centre, welcomed the announcement. The investment is intended to strengthen Norway's capacity to develop and test raw materials, ingredients and feed for aquaculture and other bio-based industries. The infrastructure will give research groups and industry access to advanced facilities for processing, formulating and evaluating new feed raw materials.

Erik-Jan Lock, research director for Nutrition and Feed Technology at Nofima, said the first phase of the centre had already demonstrated its value, and that the new investment would ensure Norway retains the knowledge and capacity needed to develop and process the raw materials of the future.

The Aquafeed Technology Centre was originally established in 2015, when Phase 1 received its initial funding. The new award builds on that foundation, with the project aiming to support more sustainable resource utilisation and innovation across the aquaculture sector, while strengthening knowledge of raw materials, nutrition and feed utilisation in farmed fish.