Recent Activities

Scottish Ocean Cluster Announces Victor West as Chair

The Scottish Ocean Cluster is delighted to announce the appointment of Victor West as Chair. A highly respected figure within Scotland's seafood sector and former CEO of Associated Seafoods, Victor brings a wealth of industry knowledge, leadership experience and a strong commitment to collaboration and innovation.

As the Scottish Ocean Cluster moves into its next phase, Victor will help guide the organisation's mission to unlock greater value from Scotland's seafood side streams through innovation, collaboration and commercial opportunity.

We are delighted to welcome Victor to the role and look forward to working together to support sustainable growth and increased value creation across Scotland's blue economy.

Collaboration at the Core: Scottish Ocean Cluster Celebrates First Summit

One Summit. Hundreds of conversations. Endless opportunities for Scotland's blue economy.

The Scottish Ocean Cluster reached a major milestone this week with the delivery of its inaugural Summit in Glasgow,  supported by the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC), Seafood Scotland and Hatch Blue.  We brought together innovators, industry leaders, researchers, investors and policymakers from across Scotland's blue economy. The event provided a platform for exploring how greater value can be created from Scotland's marine resources through innovation, collaboration and circular economy thinking.

Mark Bustard, CEO of IBioIC, reinforced the importance of cross-sector collaboration in turning innovative ideas into commercial reality. He highlighted how partnerships between industry and academia can help unlock new opportunities from seafood side streams, creating both economic value and environmental benefits for Scotland.

The Summit welcomed delegates from across the seafood, aquaculture, biotechnology, academic and investment communities, reflecting the growing momentum behind the Cluster and its vision of unlocking new opportunities from Scotland's seafood economy.

A keynote address from Thor Sigfusson, founder of the Iceland Ocean Cluster, highlighted how collaboration and innovation have transformed Iceland's approach to seafood utilisation, helping to create value from materials once viewed as waste. His insights provided inspiration for Scotland as it develops its own ocean cluster ecosystem.

A key feature of the day was a series of expert panel discussions exploring both the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. Industry leaders including Mark Shotter of Capital Project Managers, representing Loch Long Salmon, Pamela Neri of Fraserburgh Harbour and Fiona Donaldson of SEPA shared perspectives on infrastructure, sustainability, resource utilisation and the practical realities of driving innovation within Scotland's seafood industry.

Donna Fordyce, CEO of Seafood Scotland and lead of the Cluster's steering group, welcomed the appointment, highlighting Victor's unrivalled industry experience and the important role he will play in helping shape the Cluster's future direction.

A second panel focused on the role of innovation, investment and collaboration in accelerating growth across the blue economy. Contributions from Harry Wick of Tidal Vision, Wayne Murphy of Hatch Blue, Fiona Campbell of Robert Gordon University and Paul Cantwell of Zero Waste Scotland highlighted the importance of connecting industry challenges with research expertise, investment and commercialisation pathways.

Alongside the panel sessions, attendees participated in a series of rapid-fire presentations showcasing innovative technologies, emerging business ideas, research capabilities and collaboration opportunities. The breadth of expertise represented in the room demonstrated both the strength of Scotland's marine ecosystem and the appetite for greater cross-sector collaboration.

Discussions throughout the day reinforced a clear message: Scotland has a significant opportunity to generate greater economic, environmental and social value from its marine resources. Realising that opportunity will require stronger collaboration across the supply chain, greater innovation activity and a shared commitment to exploring new approaches to resource utilisation and circularity.

As the Cluster continues to grow, it remains committed to bringing together the people, organisations and expertise needed to help position Scotland as a global leader in the sustainable blue economy.

Could a Scottish Ocean Cluster Benefit Your Organisation?

We invite you to your express interest in the development of the Scottish Ocean Cluster. Your backing will help demonstrate strong stakeholder demand to potential funders and partners, including the Scottish Government.

Email us at enquiries@scottishoceancluster.com to register your interest.