Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) (GA 101226312)
Date: 2025-2029
SwitchFloc is a European research and training project funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme and coordinated by the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). The project aims to boost the sustainability of European aquaculture through Biofloc-based Technology (BFT), addressing key challenges such as high water consumption, disease risks, eutrophication and dependence on fishmeal and fish oil. By recycling carbon and nitrogen waste into beneficial microbial biomass, BFT enables more resource-efficient systems with reduced water exchange, improved animal health and enhanced biosecurity.
Despite its strong potential, BFT is still a complex and relatively new technology that requires further scientific development and specialised skills to support its large-scale deployment in Europe. SwitchFloc responds to these challenges through an interdisciplinary and intersectoral research and training programme, combining expertise in aquaculture, nutrition, microbiology, animal health, environmental assessment and economics. The project works with species already adapted to BFT systems as well as new candidate species, while exploring system integration options such as IMTA and FlocPonics, and assessing sustainability, carbon footprint, market opportunities and food quality.
Within the project, Kveloce leads the Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation (C&D&E) activities, ensuring that research results are effectively translated into impact for industry, policy and society. Kveloce will also host a PhD researcher focused on the economic feasibility and market opportunities for the industrial implementation of Biofloc-based Technology, welcome research secondments from early-stage researchers in the network, and deliver training on transversal skills such as IPR, entrepreneurship and career development, contributing to the preparation of a new generation of aquaculture experts.
