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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 portfolio of applied research and product development projects designed to strengthen Alaska’s emerging mariculture industry. The program advances strategic private sector partnerships, accelerates innovation, and addresses key barriers to industry growth. Project findings are to be compiled into reports and distributed to the public, ensuring insights are available to current and future industry participants.

The Joint Innovation Projects (JIP) Program JIP is part of the Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC) Research & Development grant component and is administered by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) as a subaward recipient. There are three cohorts of projects.

JIP I & II (2023 - 2025)

Across the first two cohorts, 29 projects were awarded funding. These projects address technical, operational, and market barriers while fostering collaboration between industry partners, researchers, and innovators. Projects were selected through competitive Requests for Proposals (view JIP RFP #1 here and JIP RFP #2 here). Each project could request up to $100,000 in funding and is supported for a period of up to 18 months.

  • Cohort I : Announced August 2023
  • Cohort II: Announced August 2024

These applied research and development projects from Cohorts I & II fall into the following categories:

Evaluating Infrastructure and Seeding Methods for Scalable Bull Kelp Cultivation - Sea Quester Farms

Assessing Optimal Infrastructure and Seeding Approaches for Large-Scale Cultivation of Bull Kelp - Sea Quester Farms

Bull Kelp Buoyancy Assessment - Native Village of Eyak

Building capacity for gametophyte generation and direct seeding techniques for the commercial kelp species Saccharina latissima (Sugar kelp) in Alaska - Chugach Regional Resources Commission

From Hatchery to Harvest: Examining the effects of different hatchery environments throughout the bull kelp lifecycle - University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dr. Michael Stekoll

Novel Compound Discovery in Newly Domesticated Alaskan Kelp - Alaska Ocean Farms, Marine Biologics

Testing Four Approaches to Small-Scale Primary Seaweed Stabilization & Matching Methods to Markets - Saltwater Inc, Regeneration North

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

Kelp Stabilization for Rural Communities: Designing for Decentralized Processing - Greenwave

Evaluate Marketability and Production Protocols for Kelp Based Wine and Spirits - Float Camp

Evaluating and Sharing Methods to Efficiently Dry Kelp for Rural Communities - Barnacle Foods

Primary Stabilization of Seaweed Through Drying Technique - Blue Evolution

Building a Product Bridge: Cost-effective Primary Stabilization for Transportation of Alaska Kelp to Market - Atlantic Sea Farms

Building a Shipping Route: Cost-Reducing Methods to Transport Stabilized Kelp from Alaska to Market - Atlantic Sea Farms

Mobile Seaweed Processing - Mothers of Millions

Reducing Impact of Iodine & Heavy Metals in Seaweed to address Barriers of Growth - Four Corner Foods, Wildsource

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

Expanding Markets through Differentiation: New Species and Product Lines - Saltwater Inc, Regeneration North

Simulation and Development of a Kelp Drying Prototype Using Existing Equipment - Sea Quester Farms

Helical Anchor Performance Analysis - Holdfast Robotics, Premium Aquatics

Sea Otter Sound Mariculture Data Initiative: Collaborative Monitoring and Innovation in Southeast Alaska’s Mariculture Industry - Kelp Blue, Craig Tribal Association

Early Warning of Harmful Algal Blooms and Biofouling Larvae Using the PlanktoScope, A Low-Cost Automated Plankton Imaging and Analysis Tool - Ostrea Marine

Developing Improved Seed of the Pacific Oyster for the Southeast Alaska Regions - Pacific Hybreed, NOAA Fisheries

Developing Hybrid Oyster Seeds for Alaska Shellfish Growers - Pacific Hybreed, NOAA Fisheries

Optimizing the Tumble Culture Method to Improve Pacific Oyster Quality, and Reduce Labor for Shellfish Farms in Southeast Alaska - Ostrea Marine

Design and Comprehensive Planning of an Alaskan Optimized Intermodal Freight Container Based Shellfish Setting and Pre-Nursery Seed Boosting System - OceansAlaska

Hatchery Cultivation of the Pacific Razor Clam (Siliqua Patula) - Chugach Regional Resources Commission

Evaluating Subsistence Shellfish Beaches for Future Enhancement Projects - Chugach Regional Resources Commission

Developing increased survival techniques for shellfish enhancement of two species (Clinocardium nuttallii and Mya arenaria) through implementing predator protection in Southeast Alaska - Organized Village of Kake

JIP III (2026)

The third Joint Innovation Project round was established to address a recognized need for targeted product development within the mariculture industry. This round utilizes underspent funds from Cohorts I and II to support smaller, high-impact projects on shorter 8-10 month timelines with awards up to $50k (view the JIP #3 RFP here). Cohort III supports innovation in shellfish and seaweed product development through: 

  • Development and testing of new shellfish or seaweed products
  • Activities necessary to bring new products to market, including:
    • Market testing
    • Refinement of processing methods
    • Business planning
  • Commercialization efforts
  • Scaling or improving production methods for existing seaweed or shellfish products

Project findings are to be compiled into reports and distributed to the public, ensuring insights are available to current and future industry participants.