About

Consortium

Aquaculture ropes and nets

The consortium brings together five partners from three European member states: Spain, Belgium and Ireland to provide the complementary skills and expertise to achieve the project objectives.

The project is coordinated by AZTI, a research institute that meets the required expertise and leading view of the main challenges of the blue marine economy along its value chain. The rest of the partnership is composed by two research institutions: GAIKER and CENTEXBEL, who will be involved in the design of the rope prototypes and develop them at lab and preindustrial scale, so that ITSASKORDA, a rope manufacturing SME, can manufacture the rope prototypes which will be validated in demonstrations of mussel and IMTA cultures at sea. The final partner ERINN Innovation will maximise the impact and transferability of the project results by putting in place a dissemination and communication strategy to ensure the awareness of different stakeholders on the project results. ERINN will also ensure that the knowledge generated within the project is transferred to the right stakeholders.

Overview of Partners

AZTI

AZTI

AZTI is a non-profit foundation (Technological Research Centre) in the Basque Country (Spain). AZTI staff work through two major research divisions: Marine Research and Food Research. Since 1979, AZTI has been working with a large number of stakeholders from companies, institutions and government bodies, carrying out research projects aimed at generating knowledge and high value-added market-oriented technological products and services to turn ideas into value for our customers. The Marine Research Division (MRD) of AZTI is expert in the research of sustainable fisheries management, marine ecosystems functioning, coastal environmental management, and efficient use of marine resources. The MRD devotes great effort in the research areas of Fishing Technology, Fisheries Management, Marine Biotechnology, Aquaculture, Ecosystem and Climate Change and Operational Oceanography. AZTI has also participated in the definition and elaboration of the Basque Aquaculture Strategy Plan. AZTI’s studies on the area validated the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of producing mussel in an offshore area which was later declared as a Mollusc Production Area by the Basque Government.

Email: info@azti.es

Website: https://www.azti.es/

Leire Arantzamendi (Project Coordinator)

Leire Arantzamendi (Project Coordinator)

Leire is the BIOGEARS Project Coordinator and WP4 leader on field demonstration tests for validation of prototype biobased ropes at sea. She’s also working on the assessment of new value chains, potential market uptake and the economical sustainability assessment for biobased gears developed under the project. Leire holds a PhD in Marine Sciences-Aquaculture from ULPGC (Spain) and a International MSc in Aquaculture. She has over 15 years experience in aquaculture and aquaculture products, and been working as senior researcher over 10 years in AZTI giving scientific and legal advice to the Basque Government for the development of strategies for the aquaculture sector, and working on projects for the development of aquaculture industry through species diversification in inland in RAS (sole) and offshore longline facilities (bivalve mollusc species).

Oihane Erkoreka

Oihane Erkoreka

Oihane gives support to the Project Coordinator in WP1 Project Management with the administrative and financial coordination of the project. She works at the Project Office at AZTI and she is focused on the European projects led by AZTI

Amaia Barrena

Amaia Barrena

Amaia gives support to the Project Coordinator in WP1 Project Management with administrative and financial issues. She is responsible for the Project Office at AZTI with more than 15 years of experience with European programmes like H2020, LIFE or structural funds like EMFF, FEDER or FEADER.

Gaiker

Gaiker

GAIKER is a Centre devoted to the technological innovation. From its beginnings in 1985, it uptakes, develops and transfers technology to the industry in the fields related to its Knowledge Areas: Biotechnology, Environment & Recycling, and Plastics & Composites. The Plastics & Composites Department at GAIKER consists of researchers and technicians with wide experience in synthesis, formulation, transformation and characterization of polymeric materials, including biopolymers. Working on thermoplastic compounds to enhance performance with several manufacturers of polymeric materials, GAIKER’s competences include Biobased polymer synthesis and modification, compounding and assessment of different plastics and composites for a wide range of applications. The process pilot plant of GAIKER include possibility of development of prototypes covering different processing techniques to develop new material and final applications by extrusion casting, injection moulding lamination thermoforming and gravure o flexography coating. In addition, within the Materials Department at GAIKER, also works in the end of life (recycling) and sustainability evaluation (LCA/LCC) of post-consumer and industrial products and wastes.

Website: http://www.gaiker.es/cas/index.aspx

María José Suárez

María José Suárez

Mari Jose is BIOGEARS WP3 leader on the Design and development of biobased rope prototypes for aquaculture application and more specifically, on the development of the biobased/biodegradable compound required for the construction of the prototypes at TRL 4. Mari Jose works as Senior Researcher in the Functional and Sustainable Materials Teams at GAIKER. She has over 20 years of experience in the area of compounding on plastics materials, working in the last decade on Private and National and European funded project (FP7, Interreg, H2020) in the field of bioplastics and biocomposites. In the last 4 years she has been the representative of GAIKER and IK4 Research Alliance in the Biobased Industries Consortium.

Ainara Pocheville

Ainara Pocheville

Ainara is BIOGEARS WP5 leader on Sustainability Assessment. Ainara works as a researcher in the Recycling & Circular Economy team of GAIKER. She has over 13 years of experience in R&D projects development at national and European level (FP7, H2020, LIFE). She works on environmental studies using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies and researches on novel circular economy solutions by recycling technologies development.

Itsaskorda

Itsaskorda

ITSASKORDA was born in the 80s in the harbours of Ondarroa and Pasajes (Basque Country, Spain), where the rope makers provided the bottom trawlers. It began selling ropes in two local harbours and has expanded its distribution network to more than 26 countries on 5 continents. ITSASKORDA has always been interested to expand its horizons and find new markets and sectors to work in and some years ago, ITSASKORDA entered into the playground sector, agriculture and stockbreeding sectors, and industry. Above all, it has managed to become one of the leader manufacturers in the aquaculture industry, thanks to its revolutionary and innovative products in the sector. This has been due to their big investment in specialized machinery, new production facilities, R+D collaborations with technological and research centres, and in training. ITSASKORDA participates in different research, innovation and development projects, along with technological centres and different companies, creating synergies to create new materials, processes or products.

Website: http://www.itsaskorda.es/

Manuel González Corbacho

Manuel González Corbacho

Manuel, WP2 & 6 leader, is the general operations manager & CEO of Itsaskorda. He has extensive experience in production process, since he has been involved in all areas of the value chain since 1975. He will coordinate the development of the ropes prototypes to be tested in real environments, defining the manufacturing process charts of biobased and oil-based aquaculture ropes, regarding process steps, materials used and will estimate the costs associated. Supported by his industrial and market experience, he will coordinate with AZTI the elaboration of a market analysis to estimate the use and market potential of biobased aquaculture ropes in the European aquaculture sector.

Jon Rementería Larrucea

Jon Rementería Larrucea

Jon is a product engineer & quality manager at Itsaskorda. He will be responsible for supervising all the processes and methods applied during the prototype and product development, ensuring that all quality standards are fulfilled among the whole process.

Centexbel

Centexbel

CENTEXBEL is the Belgian scientific and technical centre for the textile industry, located in the heart of the Belgian industry with strong links to the majority of the textile and plastic conversion companies. CTB offers a complete range of standardized testing, it is a notified body for protective clothing, and can deliver CE marking and testing.

CTB is also involved in standardization committees and offers technological advice and training to companies in Belgium or abroad. Via take-over of the “Flemish Plastic Centre” its expertise and services have been diversified towards the plastic and composite industry.

The research focus of CTB is on applied research, funded by private contract as well as national and international agencies (e.g. H2020, FP7, LIFE, Interreg, Eranet). Some well selected subjects for strategic research are: i) intelligent textiles; ii) innovative finishing, coating and laminating formulations and technology; iii) biomedical interactions of textiles; iv) polymer formulation and extrusion processes (incl. biopolymers); v) implementation of nanotechnology, vi) additive manufacturing and vii) textile reinforced composites. In the past decennium large expertise was built-up in the domain of processing via formulation and pilot line processing of a range of biopolymers including PLA. The developments resulted in a range of industrial implementations in different textile and composite domains. Formulations with controlled biodegradability could boost the further penetration and implementation of biopolymers in the textile market and especially for aquaculture application in the sea.

Website: https://www.centexbel.be/en

Lien Van der Schueren

Lien Van der Schueren

Lien holds a master in Materials Engineering and obtained her PhD in Textile Engineering on the subject of chromic textile materials. At CTB she mainly works on European and private research projects in the field of extrusion of thermoplastic polymers and fibre reinforced composites, including bio-based materials. In BIOGEARS she is mainly working on WP3 on the design and development of biobased rope prototypes using Centexbels pilot filament extrusion equipment.

ERINN Innovation

ERINN Innovation

ERINN Innovation (rebranded from Intrigo in December 2020) is a young dynamic Irish SME established in March 2017. It aims to bridge the gap from science to policy, industry and society, through effective knowledge management and transfer. Working with innovative and sustainable science projects, ERINN Innovation specialises in ensuring that new knowledge is effectively transferred to create maximum positive impact. ERINN Innovation consists of a multidisciplinary team who have an extensive and strong track record in communication and dissemination and are leaders in scientific knowledge management and transfer of research results, particularly in EU-funded projects, building upon a range of professional backgrounds in scientific research, education, business, industry, and communication. The ERINN Innovation team have developed specific methodologies to achieve tangible impact from research results through their transfer to industry, policy and decision makers and society. ERINN Innovation partners with European research consortia to design and contribute to projects that make a difference. The team devises and implements best practice work packages related to dissemination, communication and knowledge transfer to achieve tangible impact from research results. ERINN Innovation is currently participating in 11 EU funded projects, and has an excellent understanding of the full life cycle of European funded projects

Email: jane@erinn.eu

Website: http://erinn.eu/

Jane Maher

Jane Maher

Jane is the BIOGEARS WP7 (Communication, dissemination and outreach activities) leader and is a task leader on exploitation and knowledge transfer activities in WP6 (Measures for transferability of project activities and results). She has been involved in numerous EU funded projects, working on the science communication, dissemination and exploitation of results. Jane holds a PhD in geography from University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland and an MSc in environment and development.

Work Packages