CULMAREX SA

Their core work

CULMAREX SA is a commercial aquaculture company based on the Mediterranean coast of Murcia, Spain, specializing in the production of gilthead sea bream and European sea bass — the two dominant farmed fish species in southern European markets. Their core business is industrial-scale marine fish farming, and in the H2020 context they contribute as an industry reference partner: providing production facilities, live fish, and real-world operational knowledge to research consortia testing new technologies and husbandry approaches. They do not receive EU research funding directly but embed researchers within their production environment, which gives academic and technology partners access to working aquaculture infrastructure that laboratory settings cannot replicate. Their involvement in consecutive large-scale aquaculture projects signals a company committed to science-backed improvement of their production systems rather than passive participation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early phase (PerformFISH, starting 2017), CULMAREX's involvement centred on consolidating performance and industrial application for the two established Mediterranean species — sea bream and sea bass — within a Blue Growth framing typical of that period's EU aquaculture agenda. By the time NewTechAqua launched in 2020, the scope had expanded considerably: genetics, breeding programmes, new species, molluscs, microalgae, organic production, and Industry 4.0 tools all entered the picture, alongside market uptake and training themes that reflect a more commercialisation-oriented phase. The trajectory is one of deepening complexity — from optimising what they already farm toward adopting transformative technologies and diversifying the species portfolio.

CULMAREX is moving from optimising conventional sea bream and sea bass production toward integrating digital tools, genetics, and new species into their operations — making them an increasingly relevant industry validation partner for aquaculture technology developers seeking real production-scale testing.

How they like to work

CULMAREX participates exclusively as a third party in both projects — meaning they provide assets (facilities, fish, expertise) to the consortium rather than acting as a funded beneficiary. This is the classic "industry demonstrator" model: research teams need access to real production environments, and CULMAREX provides that access in exchange for being part of the innovation loop. Working with them means gaining a production-scale testbed in a live commercial aquaculture facility on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, but it also means they will not lead a work package or manage deliverables — their value is operational, not administrative.

Despite only two projects, CULMAREX has been exposed to 65 unique consortium partners across 12 countries — a direct consequence of both PerformFISH and NewTechAqua being large pan-European aquaculture consortia with broad membership. Their network skews toward aquaculture research institutes, universities, and technology providers across southern and northern Europe.

What sets them apart

CULMAREX offers something most H2020 partners in aquaculture cannot: an operating commercial fish farm on the Spanish Mediterranean coast willing to host trials and validate technologies under real production conditions, not controlled lab settings. For technology developers — whether working on feed, genetics, sensors, or farming systems — this is a faster and more credible route to demonstrating market readiness than academic pilots. Their location in Murcia also places them in one of Spain's most productive aquaculture regions, giving them access to regional industry networks, regulatory familiarity, and logistical infrastructure that supports scale-up work.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NewTechAqua
  A large IA-funded project (2020–2023) addressing the full breadth of European aquaculture innovation — from AI and Industry 4.0 to genetics, new species, and organic production — making it one of the most ambitious aquaculture consortia of the H2020 programme.
• PerformFISH
  A five-year RIA project (2017–2022) focused on consumer-driven production performance for sea bream and sea bass, notable for its market-linkage angle connecting production science directly to commercial viability.