FEEDACTIV focuses on the development of innovative aquaculture feed based on natural bioactive compounds that boost the immune system of farmed fish. Various species of marine microalgae as well as seaweed and land based herbal plants are going to be used as enrichment of the fish feed and hopefully as partial fishmeal substitution with low cost ingredients. The use of natural compounds, polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3, ω-6 and ω-7), phenols, carotenoids and protein from marine and land based flora, aims to improve the breeding and quality of farmed species while drastically reducing the annual cost of the aquaculture companies by focusing on the processes that boost the immune system of the fish. The production of these functional products will cover the consumers’ demands for the consumption of foods with increased functionality and absence of any chemical additives giving them the following comparative advantage over the competition. The overarching objective of this project is to form an international and inter-sectoral network of organizations working on a joint research programme in the fields of aquaculture and feed formulation. Therefore, FEEDACTIV will bring together experts from industry and academia that specialize in interdisciplinary/inter-sectorial, yet highly complementally, research areas of Aquaculture, Animal Feed Production, Feed/Food safety, Process Analysis and Design of food products. It is a joint research and innovation project that will develop a strong partnership involving 8 partners from 3 European countries (Romania, Greece, and Italy) and with different technical backgrounds from the academic and non-academic sectors (SMEs). The execution of the project and the knowledge sharing will be based on secondments (exchanges) of research and innovation staff with an in-built return mechanism strengthening collaborative research among the different countries and sectors.

Recent developments in genomics have advanced innovation in European aquaculture. However, despite the creation of reference quality genome sequences for the main species, our understanding of genome functions remains limited. AQUA-FAANG will deliver a step improvement in understanding of genome function and exploitation of genotype-to-phenotype prediction in the six most important European farmed fish species. The project brings together world-leading interdisciplinary expertise and industry partners providing direct pathways to commercial exploitation. AQUA-FAANG will functionally annotate the genomes of all six species, employing standardized experimental assays and analysis pipelines defined by the FAANG initiative. AQUA-FAANG datasets will be shared and coordinated with other FAANG initiatives via the FAANG data coordination centre, and made available through the Ensembl genome browser. As infectious disease is of paramount concern for sustainable aquaculture, the project focuses on understanding functional genomic regions in both healthy and immune-challenged fish. This will improve knowledge of the genomic basis for disease resistance and is complemented by novel approaches to increase understanding of immune cell heterogeneity. Standardized comparative analyses will provide essential insights into genome functions that cannot be gained from study of single species. Functional assays will be used to study intermediate phenotypes and prioritise causative genetic variants in trait-associated genomic regions to accelerate selection of disease-resistant stocks. Functionally-enriched marker panels will be developed to improve accuracy of genomic selection. An active programme of stakeholder engagement and dissemination will ensure uptake of project outputs by industry, academia, the public and in policy. The outputs will enhance precision breeding, drive competitiveness within the aquaculture sector, and enhance food and nutrition security in Europe.