The University of Thessaly (UTH) participates in the project with 2 Laboratories of the School of Agricultural Sciences: a) the Aquaculture Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment (www.diae.uth.gr) and b) the Laboratory of Agricultural Construction and Environmental Control of the Department of Crop Production and Rural Environment (www.agr.uth.gr). Among the objectives of the School of Agricultural Sciences is the conduct of applied and technological research that leads to new products and services with environmental, economic and social impact.
The Aquaculture Laboratory serves the educational-research needs of UTH in the cognitive subjects of aquaculture and fish feed technology, among others. Its staff has many years of research experience in aquaculture and aquafeed technology. Also, its staff has many years of experience in the management and implementation of national and international research programs having participated in more than 30 research projects, publishing more than 60 articles in international peer-reviewed journals. Research infrastructure of Aquaculture Laboratory includes an Aquaculture Experimental Station (with license to use laboratory animals EL-43BIO / exp-01) for conducting nutritional experiments and a pelletizing machine for the preparation of fish feed, feed analysis instruments etc.
The Laboratory of Agricultural Construction and Environmental Control (http://lacec.agr.uth.gr/) serves the educational-research needs of UTH in subjects concerning the design and construction of agricultural structures, greenhouses and hydroponic systems, among others. Lab’s members have participated in more than 40 research projects, published more than 70 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and more than 200 in the proceedings of national and international conferences. The laboratory is active in the cultivation of microalgae in synergies with the Aquaculture Laboratory and the biofuel industry, having acquired relevant know-how on the subject.
The 2 laboratories of UTH have been collaborating for the past 5 years in the cultivation and use of microalgae in fish feeds. The members of the project team also collaborate with other domestic and foreign research organizations in the relevant field, while they have established synergies with the aquafeed industry and the biofuels industry.