INCAR²: New ANID Applied Research Center to lead the strengthening of sustainable aquaculture in Chile
On October 30, the results of the call for Applied Research Centers (CIA) of the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) were announced. Among the eight awarded centers, one was specifically dedicated to addressing the challenges and opportunities of Chilean aquaculture. This is the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR²), code CIA250009, whose English name — Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research – Applied Research — reflects its strong emphasis on applied research aimed at strengthening a more sustainable and competitive aquaculture sector.
The objective of the Applied Research Centers is to contribute to the creation and consolidation of centers of excellence in research and development that generate innovative scientific and technological advances, provide solutions to challenges of productive sectors and help capture opportunities linked to productive diversification, compatible with sustainable development at the national and international level, to be transferred to the public and private sector, impacting the competitiveness of the Chilean economy and, through it, the welfare of society.
After 13 years of generating knowledge and human capital of excellence, FONDAP INCAR concludes and gives way to a new Center, CIA INCAR², which will focus on research to generate knowledge and technologies that balance the competitiveness of the aquaculture sector with the social welfare and environmental sustainability of Chile. In this new cycle, the center's direction will be in the hands of Dr. Cristian Gallardo-Escárate, academic of the Department of Oceanography of the Universidad de Concepción (UdeC), while the deputy direction will be led by Dr. Rubén Avendaño-Herrera, academic of the Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB).
For Dr. Gallardo-Escárate, the award of INCAR² represents a significant milestone for world-class Chilean aquaculture: “the scientific advances made by INCAR researchers consolidate a track record of contributions of applied knowledge to the salmon farming industry, mussel farming and small-scale aquaculture.”
As during its first period, INCAR² has the Universidad de Concepción (UdeC) as its sponsoring institution, and the Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB) and the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh) as associates, with the Universidad de Talca (UTalca) joining in this new stage.
In the opinion of INCAR²'s director, Dr. Gallardo-Escárate, “the continuity of associated institutions in this new stage demonstrates solid institutional relationships in the frontier scientific field.” Moreover, the incorporation of the Universidad de Talca reinforces the interdisciplinary and collaborative character of the center.
Research Lines
In this new stage of INCAR², interdisciplinary and collaborative work will be fundamental, with the number of research lines increasing to eight. The research lines are as follows:
- New fish vaccines
- Fish diseases and antimicrobial resistance
- Omics solutions for aquaculture
- Stress and animal welfare
- Impacts of aquaculture on ecosystems
- Increasing resilience in aquaculture
- Sustainable interactions between aquaculture, fisheries and ecosystems
- Socioeconomic impacts, governance and market dynamics
The principal investigators leading each of these lines are: Dr. Cristian Gallardo-Escárate (UdeC), Dr. Rubén Avendaño-Herrera (UNAB), Dr. Valentina Valenzuela-Muñoz (UdeC), Dr. Juan Antonio Valdés (UNAB), Dr. Renato Quiñones Bergeret (UdeC), Dr. Doris Soto Benavides (UdeC), Dr. Carlos Molinet Flores (UACh) and Dr. Carlos Chávez Rebolledo (UTalca).
The new configuration of INCAR²'s research lines emphasizes the applied research character and the search for comprehensive, interdisciplinary solutions with a strong scientific basis, noted Dr. Gallardo-Escárate.
The Contribution of the FONDAP INCAR Center
During its first decade of operation, the FONDAP INCAR Center has made important scientific contributions, such as the assessment of the climate change vulnerability of salmon and mussel aquaculture, the development of climate risk maps, and the sequencing of the genomes of the sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi and the mussel Mytilus chilensis. It has also generated key information on bacterial pathogens, such as those causing piscirickettsiosis, tenacibaculosis, renibacteriosis and flavobacteriosis, among others.
In the environmental field, FONDAP INCAR was a pioneer in studies on the impact of antiparasitic pesticides in salmon farming and in the definition of critical thresholds for harmful algal blooms (HABs) in southern Chile.
Regarding technological development, the center has achieved significant advances with the creation of three vaccines against the sea louse and the bacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis, the main sanitary threats of national aquaculture. In mussel farming, environmental factors affecting the successful settlement of mussel seed have been identified.
For the Deputy Director, Dr. Ruben Avendaño-Herrera, “this new Center will play a crucial role for Chilean aquaculture. Thanks to the knowledge accumulated over the last 12 years and the next five years of collaborative work with public and private entities, we have the opportunity to continue strengthening human capital and to drive sustainable growth of the sector through innovative technological and regulatory solutions. This will make it possible to consolidate a more resilient and responsible aquaculture, with an approach that integrates the social and environmental dimension.”
With this award, the new CIA INCAR² will be a national benchmark in applied research for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient aquaculture in the face of future challenges.
