Nofima and the four other host institutions have plenty of time to prepare for the conference on fish nutrition and feed scheduled for 2012.
More than 500 researchers from around the globe are expected to attend the conference in Molde, Norway, to share their latest findings in the field.
"It will be exciting for us to arrange such a large and prestigious conference," says Ståle Refstie of Nofima/APC, chair of the Norwegian organizing committee. Nofima applied to host the event along with the Aquaculture Protein Centre (APC), the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), the NorwegianSchool of Veterinary Science (NVH) and the NorwegianUniversity of Life Sciences (UMB).
This summer the international conference committee selected these Norwegian research institutions to arrange the 15th consecutive "International Symposium on Fish Nutrition and Feeding" (ISFNF). Several sponsors from trade and industry have also expressed their interest in helping to support the conference.
The ISFNF is held every other year in various locations throughout the world. This summer the conference took place in Florianópolis, Brazil, and Beijing will serve as host city in 2010. The conference is considered to be the most important meeting place for researchers and companies with an R&D focus in the area of fish feed and feeding.
"It's a feather in our cap to be given the task of organizing the conference, and it's a great opportunity for us to profile ourselves and Norway," explains Refstie.
"It will also be an exciting conclusion for APC, which in 2012 will have completed its ten-year project period as a Centre of Excellence, and will have many findings to report."
Molde is a natural choice for the conference site, thanks to its majestic scenery, good conference facilities and central location in one of Norway's largest fish-farming counties. From Molde it is only a short distance to Nofima's research stations on Sunndalsøra and Averøy, which conference participants will find worth a visit.