Under the “Project for top young investigators in aquaculture research” (TOPPFORSK), the programme board allocates project funding of up to NOK 8 million over a four-year period. The aim is to provide talented young researchers with a sound basis for achieving international excellence and acquiring good research management skills.

The first grants were awarded to Finn-Arne Weltzien (Norwegian School of Veterinary Science) and Mari Moren (National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES)) for project start-up in 2008. Jorge Fernandes (University of Nordland) launched his project in 2009, while Marit Seppola (Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima)) and Ernst Hevrøy (NIFES) have received funding since 2010.

The Research Council of Norway is allocating a total of NOK 40 million to help these young researchers to achieve international excellence. From left: Jorge Fernandes is studying muscle development in cod, Marit Seppola is unravelling the mystery of the cod’s immune system, Ernst Hevrøy is conducting research on salmon and climate, Mari Moran is looking at bone development in cod, and Finn-Arne Weltzien is examining puberty and reproduction in cod. (Photo: Torkil Marsdal Hanssen)

“TOPPFORSK funding has been crucial”

According to Finn-Arne Weltzien, the NOK 40 million the HAVBRUK programme is investing in him and his fellow top young investigators will yield even greater benefits if their work is continued in future studies.

“All five of us have given priority to developing methodologies and basic knowledge. Our projects are therefore paving the way for continued research, and we will be able to harvest new knowledge and additional results in the very near future. It would be a shame not to utilise these in further research activities,” he says.

Dr Weltzien admits outright that his TOPPFORSK project has been instrumental in advancing his career as a researcher.

“The grant has been crucial to my career, as it has helped me to obtain a permanent position and additional research funding at my home institution. It has also enabled me to put together a dynamic researcher group with two Ph.D. students and a post-doctoral fellow, as well as given me the time to develop methodologies as a basis for further research activities,” he explains.

Quality and relevance

The five top young investigators were selected on the basis of their scientific qualifications and potential to achieve high international standing. Importance was also attached to the benefit to society and relevance of the proposed research, in addition to the scientific merit of the project. All five researchers hold a doctoral degree and have already published a substantial number of scientific works.

In the years leading up to 2014 the TOPPFORSK projects will generate new knowledge that may help to solve pressing problems in cod production and better equip salmon farmers to cope with the impacts of global warming.