FHF Aquaculture R&D Program

Tank and Model Data for Aquaculture Design Validation

Supports aquaculture design improvements by generating tank and model data that validate facility sizing and engineering calculations.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

FHF (Fiskeri- og havbruksnæringens forskningsfinansiering) is Norway's mandatory-levy-funded seafood research body, a state-owned limited company overseen by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries and financed by a 0.3% levy on Norwegian seafood exports. This 2026 call is the largest single aquaculture grant in FHF's June 2026 snapshot at 15 MNOK, and it addresses a structural engineering challenge: Norwegian aquaculture facilities — both conventional net-pen and emerging land-based or semi-closed designs — require robust computational methods and design tools (beregningsverktøy) to be dimensioned safely and cost-effectively. The call funds generation of tank and physical model data that can validate and calibrate those calculation methods.

Eligible applicants include companies, universities, and research organizations operating in Norway; the portal requires Norwegian ID-porten, so foreign institutions must partner with a Norwegian lead. Deadline is June 19, 2026, co-timed with FHF's sea lice calls. Proposals are expected to define the physical testing protocols (tank experiments or scaled model trials), the range of facility types or structural configurations to be tested, and the specific calculation tools or standards against which results will be validated. No per-project floor is stated; FHF's aquaculture advisory group shapes selection.

Strong proposals will connect experimental data directly to named engineering standards or calculation software used by the Norwegian aquaculture engineering community, demonstrate access to accredited test facilities, and show how validated models will reduce uncertainty and cost in future facility design decisions. FHF's mandate requires results to benefit the broader Norwegian seafood sector, so open or industry-accessible data sharing plans will strengthen alignment with funder expectations.