SKINS

Acronym
SKINS
Title
Cutaneous biomarkers: advancing health and sustainability in salmonid aquaculture
Code
COMPETE2030-FEDER-02247200
Program
P2030 – I&D Empresas – Projetos de I&DT (SI)
Main Objective
Development of new research services to assess the disruption of the sea lice life cycle and the dietary-driven regeneration of skin lesions in salmonids affected by sea lice.
Beneficiary Entities
Sparos Lda., RiaSearch Lda., University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, S2AQUAcoLAB, GreenCoLab – Green Ocean Association, CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (Portugal), ICBAS – Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto.
Leader Institution
RiaSearch Lda
Approval Date
11 April 2025
Time period
31 July 2025 – 01 July 2028
Total Eligible Costs
1 530 103,68 EUR
EU Funding
1 262 094,57 EUR

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing animal production sector in recent decades. Salmon production in Europe reached 1.9 million tonnes in 2022, with a projected growth of around 25% by 2030. However, the salmon industry faces a major health challenge due to recurring infestations by sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). There is strong industry interest in finding new solutions—especially those applied through nutrition—that can help mitigate the harmful impacts of sea lice infestations on salmon.

Fish skin is a dynamic, metabolically active tissue and a key part of the innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against environmental, physical, or parasitic challenges. Through the SKINS co-promotion project, the companies RIASEARCH and SPAROS, in partnership with research and innovation entities (UTAD, ICBAS, CIIMAR, GreenCoLab, S2AQUA), aim to develop new research services to assess the disruption of the sea lice life cycle and the dietary-driven regeneration of skin lesions in salmonids affected by sea lice. This expansion of RIASEARCH’s service portfolio is expected to strengthen its market position and significantly broaden its current client base.

Partners

Supported by:

This work is part of the SKINS project, No. 21638, Operation No. COMPETE2030-FEDER-02247200, co-financed by the European Union through ERFD, Algarve 2030 and COMPETE 2030 Operational Programs, in the framework of Portugal 2030.

The Portuguese National Authorities or the European Union cannot be held liable for any use made of this publication.