A Carlow-based company which has developed groundbreaking technology for measuring nitrate in water has been announced as winner of the inaugural BIM (An Bord Iascaigh Mhara) Aquatech Business of the Year.
Aquamonitrix, a spin-out from oil and environmental analysis company TE Laboratories, uses its technology to deliver data on nitrates and nitrites that are toxic to fish, but which were previously impossible to measure in real time.
The company developed the water quality monitoring solution two years ago, and since then the Aquamonitrix analyser has been bought by fish farms around the world.
Today the company employs more than 50 people and has customers from as far afield as Norway, the Netherlands and Canada.
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Leading up to the award, eight aquatech companies took part in a two-week BIM Innovation Studio, delivered by aquaculture accelerator Hatch Blue and supported by the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.
Aquamonitrix director Mark Bowkett said the company is delighted to win the inaugural award.
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“Our participation in the BIM Innovation Studio Programme was a game-changer, and helped us to develop this opportunity. It has been a steep learning curve. But the Innovation Studio helped us to determine that we had a value proposition for the aquaculture industry,” he said.
The award was announced at a conference in Killarney titled “Aquatech – Ireland’s Global Opportunity”, which heard that Ireland’s has the potential to become a global leader in the aquatech field.
There are 62 aquatech companies operating in Ireland, which turned over €200 million last year. BIM chief executive Caroline Bocquel said more than €15 million has been invested in aquatech businesses and more than 200 high-tech jobs created in the sector over the past six years.
BIM development and innovation director Richard said that with proper supports, Ireland has the potential to be the “Silicon Valley” of the aquatech world.
The other two Aquatech Business of the Year finalists were Aqualicence, a marine and offshore wind farm consultancy firm, and Konree Innovation, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to outsmart infestation of sea lice among salmon and other fish.
