CSIC is the largest public research institution in Spain and the third largest in Europe. It covers all fields of knowledge, broaching from basic to applied research. CSIC participates in AQUAEXCEL3.0 through the Instituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal (IATS), focused on basic and applied aspects of mariculture research, with large expertise in fish pathology, endocrinology, physiology, reproduction, nutrition and nutrigenomics.

Role in the AQUAEXCEL3.0 project:

IATS will offer two installations (experimental and analytical) in TNA, using sea bream, sea bass and mussels as main target models, taking advantage of tools and knowledge generated in the previous AQUAEXCEL (FP7) and AQUAEXCEL2020 (H2020). CSIC will offer the use of AE-FishBIT technology, developed in AQUAEXCEL2020, for monitoring fish welfare and metabolic condition in TNA. IATS will have a transversal participation in all NAs, and IATS will be involved also in JRA1 and JRA3.

Key persons involved:

Prof. Jaume Pérez-Sánchez is the Head of the Nutrigenomics group at IATS with more than 30 years’ experience in fish nutrition, nutrigenomics and endocrinology. He has authored more than 170 SCI articles and participated and led national and EU projects for the last 25 years. He is the CSIC PI in AQUAEXCEL3.0 and will lead the use of AE-FishBIT in JRA3 and TNAs.

Dr. Ariadna Sitjà-Bobadilla is the Head of the Fish Pathology group at IATS, with 30 years of research experience and has authored more than 150 articles in SCI journals. Her primary research area is marine fish parasites, with emphasis on host-parasite relationships. She has been the coordinator of the ParaFishControl EU project. She will have a key role in microbiota studies in JRA1 and will be part of the TNA Selection Panel.

Dr. Josep Calduch-Giner belongs to IATS Nutrigenomics group. He is an experienced researcher with participation in several aquaculture-related EU projects, and more than 90 SCI authored articles. In AQUAEXCEL3.0, he will manage the TNAs for IATS infrastructures.