On 20 October 2021, members of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) — consisting of Mr Chan Hian Lim, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Corporate, Industry and Technology), Singapore Food Agency, and his delegates — visited the Singapore campus of James Cook University (JCU) to learn more about JCU’s aquaculture capabilities as well as the future of the Tropical Futures Institute (TFI).

The visit also allowed JCU and SFA to strengthen their cooperative relationship. Earlier this year, TFI, along with its collaborative research partners, was awarded funding for aquaculture research under the Singapore Food Story R&D Programme. These research projects will take on research and development activities to contribute to increased and sustainable aquaculture production output through the development of improved aquafeeds and advanced genetics. In addition, JCU is an important part of the nine institutions supporting the Aquaculture Innovation Centre, which enables the University to share its expertise and experience in aquaculture, notably the application of genetics to improve the productivity of aquatic organisms. These endeavours support Singapore’s ‘30 by 30’ target for food security, in which the country aims to build the agri-food industry’s capacity and capability to produce 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.

During the visit, the members of the SFA received a short campus tour where they had the chance to check out the Aquaculture Research and Teaching Facility — a state-of-the-art environment that enables researchers to dive deep into research of aquatic life and identify more efficient methods of aquaculture production — as well as speak with research staff and undergraduate volunteers to learn more about the activities taking place at JCU.

Mr Chan said, “With competing uses for space and challenges such as climate change, SFA is working closely with the research community, including JCU, to develop new solutions that will transform our local aquaculture industry into one that is sustainable and highly productive. SFA will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders in the aquaculture ecosystem to develop Singapore into the region’s leading research and innovation hub for sustainable tropical marine aquaculture.”

Professor Chris Rudd OBE, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Head of Campus, Singapore at JCU, said, “The terrific partnership with SFA has really intensified our research in the aquaculture sector. JCU is working hard to help Singapore grow as a hub for aquaculture technology, and with the support of SFA, I look forward to seeing the results!”

Find out more about the Singapore campus of James Cook University.

Find out more about the Tropical Futures Institute.

Discover further information on areas of research and research strength at James Cook University in Singapore.

Contacts

Media: Pinky Sibal [email protected]