A Brazilian university is the only institution from Latin America participating as an associated partner in SwitchFloc, an initiative funded by Horizon Europe that aims to revolutionize aquaculture through biofloc technology.

The Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG) is the only institution from Latin America to join the consortium of the SwitchFloc project (Boosting sustainability of European aquaculture through Biofloc Technology), an international initiative that brings together 12 institutions from Europe and Brazil to develop sustainable technologies applied to aquaculture. The consortium agreement, formalizing the participation of all partners, came into force in December 2025, with the official version recently made available.

The SwitchFloc project aims to explore the potential of Biofloc Technology to make aquaculture more sustainable by promoting more efficient production systems with lower environmental impact. Coordinated by the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), in Spain, the consortium includes partners from Portugal, Norway, Germany, Italy, France, and Brazil. Participating institutions include renowned organizations such as the University of Porto (U.PORTO), the University of Tromsø (UiT), in Norway, and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), in Germany.

As an Associated Partner, FURG has the right to appoint a representative to the Supervisory Board, the consortium’s highest decision-making body. FURG’s inclusion reflects its consolidated expertise in aquaculture, particularly in biofloc-based production systems, one of the university’s leading research areas.

With the signing of the agreement, FURG strengthens its presence in high-impact projects in the European scenario, contributing its expertise to the development of solutions aimed at making aquaculture more sustainable and aligned with global environmental challenges.