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201809 Howard Kerry the Chilkat Mountains loom over fishing grounds north of Juneau-Web - Medium

Joint Innovation Projects

Overview

The Joint Innovation Projects (JIP) program is a collection of 29 unique applied research and development projects designed to form strategic private sector partnerships, accelerate innovation, address barriers to growth, and stand up Alaska’s emerging mariculture industry. The JIP program is part of the AMC’s Research & Development(Opens an external site in a new window) grant component and administered by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), a subaward recipient.

There are two cohorts of projects. The first JIP cohort was announced(Opens an external site in a new window) in August 2023, and the second JIP cohort was announced(Opens an external site in a new window) in July 2024. Projects were awarded funding through competitive requests for proposals (view JIP RFP #1 here(Opens an external site in a new window) and JIP RFP #2 here(Opens an external site in a new window)). Proposals could only request funding up to $100,000, and each project is funded for a timeline of up to 18-months.

Project findings are to be compiled into reports and distributed to the public, ensuring insights are available to current and future industry participants. This webpage, which compiles information from AFDF’s previous JIP reports and meet-ups(Opens in a new window), will be updated when the first cohort submits Final Reports (Spring 2025), and again when the second cohort submits Interim and Final Reports (TBA).

Testing Four Approaches to Small-Scale Primary Seaweed Stabilization & Matching Methods to Markets - Saltwater Inc, Regeneration North(Opens in a new window)

Pilot scale forced-air drying and milling of farmed kelp – Gateway to mid to large scale drying, qualitative assessment, and development of dried kelp products - Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute(Opens in a new window)

Kelp Stabilization for Rural Communities: Designing for Decentralized Processing - Greenwave(Opens in a new window)

Evaluate Marketability and Production Protocols for Kelp Based Wine and Spirits - Float Camp(Opens in a new window)

Evaluating and Sharing Methods to Efficiently Dry Kelp for Rural Communities - Barnacle Foods(Opens in a new window)

Primary Stabilization of Seaweed Through Drying Technique - Blue Evolution(Opens in a new window)

Building a Product Bridge: Cost-effective Primary Stabilization for Transportation of Alaska Kelp to Market - Atlantic Sea Farms (Opens in a new window)

Building a Shipping Route: Cost-Reducing Methods to Transport Stabilized Kelp from Alaska to Market - Atlantic Sea Farms (Opens in a new window)

Mobile Seaweed Processing - Mothers of Millions(Opens in a new window)

Reducing Impact of Iodine & Heavy Metals in Seaweed to address Barriers of Growth - Four Corner Foods, Wildsource (Opens in a new window)

Solar Drying of Alaskan Seaweed and Use as a Sustainably Sourced Layer Hen Feed Ingredient - Premium Aquatics, Word Wildlife Fund, Wilcox Farms(Opens in a new window)

Expanding Markets through Differentiation: New Species and Product Lines - Saltwater Inc, Regeneration North(Opens in a new window)

Simulation and Development of a Kelp Drying Prototype Using Existing Equipment - Sea Quester Farms (Opens in a new window)