The developed solution is a prime example of disruptive innovation, states the jury.
The ‘Special Award’ in Norway’s Smartest Industrial Company 2024 is established for new, innovative industrial start-ups that dare to venture into new niches and sustainable, technological solutions, but do not yet meet the criteria for the main award.
“FishGLOBE has developed a forward-thinking and sustainable solution for one of Norway’s most important industries, which today faces significant environmental challenges,” the jury writes in their statement. “The company has developed a closed containment fish farming facility that prevents escapes, eliminates sea lice, and addresses the pollution problems associated with traditional aquaculture. The facility is autonomous, managed and monitored from land, cost-effective, energy-efficient, and has low vulnerability. The solution improves fish health, contributes to a necessary increase in food production from the sea, and offers significant environmental benefits. The developed solution is a prime example of disruptive innovation with a technological basis in the supplier cluster of the Norwegian seafood industry, and the product has a large international market. This demonstrates that Norway holds a leading technological position in sustainable sea-based food production,” the jury notes.
The final three contenders for the 2024 ‘Special Award’ were: Norwegian Textile Recycling, which strives to achieve ‘textile-to-textile’ recycling of mixed textiles from the healthcare and hospitality industries; Nordic Batteries, which employs cutting-edge digital tools and automation to design and produce battery modules; and FishGLOBE, which addresses many of the aquaculture industry’s biggest challenges, including fish welfare, sludge collection, escapes, and sea lice, through a floating closed containment aquaculture facility.