An essential centre

It was the same sense of purpose that Witzøe senior brought with him when he was trying to find the right person to lead the initiative, and the person he wanted was Kristine Hartmann. That was also the reason that she said yes.“I realised that he meant it. He wanted to change things,” saysKristine Hartmann, CEO of the Salmon Living Lab (SSL)

More than talk

The fact that Gustav and SalMar acknowledged, on behalf of the entire aquaculture sector, that something had to be done, appealed to me. Not to mention the premise they put on the table when they asked me if I wanted the job – that this was something tangible. More than just words,” she says.

Hartmann makes it quite clear that the major challenges will be resolved. A centre that will be filled with expertise and knowledge is actually going to be built. Actual projects will be undertaken. Research will be put in the water.

“We will find solutions. We will build a global competence centre. We will get the research out of the filing cabinet and over to where things happen.”

An initial NOK 500 million was put on the table by the two partners, and now the research is set to begin. At the same time, the planned innovation and research centre will be realised over the next few years.

Impatient

One year after start-up, the first partnership was signed. The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) became an advisory partner and the first project is already underway. This was an important step because Hartmann, as the leader of this wide-ranging industrial endeavour, is both impatient and optimistic.

“The most important thing we can do is get going with the projects. I am keen to see that this happens quickly. When the results come – that is how we will show that we are doing what we said we would. We are not waiting for the building to be finished. Weare using our partners’ existing facilities and we are starting now.”

Before becoming SSL's first leader, Hartmann was Director of Development at SalMar Aker Ocean. She has years of experience of Aker's system, of aquaculture and of transformation and change as a professional field. She is impressed by the aquaculture sector and what its people have achieved.

“Norwegian fish farming has been a fantastic success, but now we are facing challenges greater than we have ever experienced before. I thought it was symptomatic of the entire industry that SalMar and Cargill took the lead and said ‘we’ve got some problems here’ and they can’t be fixed by individual players working alone,” she says.

SSL aims to attract and collaborate with the very best in the fields of industry, academia and research, and thereby exploit the foremost expertise and competence that the entire value chain has to offer. From roe to restaurant Because now it is all about biology. About the fish. Hartmann and Co will be working closely with government bodies and NGOs. It is important that critical voices are also invited to say their piece.

Critics of SSL have claimed that it could all end up with lofty visions and pious words. Is anything actually happening?

Yes, it is. “We have followed the plan. Done the most important thing first. In other words, spoken to ‘all’ stakeholders. And by “all”, she means over 50 organisations spanning industrial enterprises, research institutions, clusters, NGOs and government bodies.

A necessary partnership

The feedback has been unanimous, luckily for SSL: “We need this”. More specifically, the demand is for SSL to be a collaborative platform that provides critical infrastructure from research, innovation and testing. A platform that works more closely with the operational side and is a catalyst for growth and development.

“The entire value chain must therefore be considered as one, the research and testing must happen in close cooperation with the companies and their day-to-day operations, and we must be able to promote those projects that have a lasting positive effect,” says Hartmann.

In addition, Hartmann promises that any positive results will benefit the entire sector. Not just SalMar. Which presumes that the research does not remain gathering dust in reports and filing cabinets. It must be disseminated to those on the front line of production.

First partner

Now Hartmann has landed SSL's first project and first project partner. On the centre's first anniversary, no less, in March 2025. The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) signed up to become an advisory partner. Together, they will promote global expertise about salmon and close those knowledge gaps. Specifically, the first project seeks to find out why Pacific salmon seem to be more resistent to sea lice than their North Atlantic cousins. Cargill is leading the project.

The partnership's explicit ambition is to ensure that the research is translated into tangible solutions. In this way, food production can be increased – on the salmon’s terms. So, the big question is: where will the centre be located?

That still has to be decided. But since this is a global competence centre, with all that entails, it will be located close to one of the major cities, like Bergen, Stavanger, Oslo, Trondheim or Tromsø, where there is access to infrastructure and other centres of expertise are not far way.

Hartmann is now searching for more partners for a variety of collaborative models. Because different kinds of partnership are possible. There are core partners, like SalMar and Cargill, which contribute both capital and resources; project partners, which contribute resources, data, technology, products and/or capital for specific projects; advisory partners, which contribute expertise, research, tools or data. And the establishment of an incubator to facilitate early-phase or spinoff companies that can participate in tangible projects.

Future priorities for SSL

Define focus areas and research questions
Initiate 1–2 projects
Identify sites and initiate construction
Recruit more partners and people to fill key roles