DURAND DOMINIQUE, DENIS, FABRICE

Their core work

Based in Norway under the trading name Durand Research & Consulting Covartec, this private firm operates as a specialist research and consulting entity in marine and aquaculture sectors. Their work spans coastal ocean observation systems and, more recently, intelligent aquaculture — specifically optimizing fish feed using AI-driven monitoring, IoT sensors, and circular economy inputs such as algae. They bring a life-cycle assessment (LCA) perspective to aquaculture, suggesting they evaluate environmental sustainability alongside technical performance. Given Norway's position as the world's leading salmon-farming nation, they are likely embedded in a highly applied, industry-adjacent research environment.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2015–2019), their work was tied to coastal and marine observation infrastructure — broad, data-collection-focused, with no aquaculture-specific orientation. Their second project (2018–2023) marked a sharp pivot: all recorded keywords — fish feed, AI, IoT, fish nutrition, algae, LCA — point squarely at smart, sustainable aquaculture. This is not an incremental shift but a substantial narrowing into a high-value application niche where Norway has both industrial scale and strong R&D investment.

They are moving deeper into data-driven aquaculture — combining AI, IoT, and circular feed ingredients — which aligns with a fast-growing global market for sustainable fish farming technology.

How they like to work

They have participated exclusively as consortium members, never as project coordinators, across both projects. Despite this, they have been exposed to very large consortia — 55 unique partners across 17 countries — suggesting they operate as specialist contributors within broad, multi-institution projects rather than as organizers. This profile fits a consultancy that brings domain-specific expertise (aquaculture systems, marine science) to larger collaborative efforts.

They have built a surprisingly wide network for a two-project participant: 55 unique partners across 17 countries, spanning both research infrastructure (JERICO-NEXT's European coastal observatory nodes) and aquaculture technology (iFishIENCi's international consortium). No single geographic cluster dominates, indicating broad European reach.

What sets them apart

This is one of the few Norwegian private firms active in both marine observation infrastructure and smart aquaculture within H2020 — a combination that bridges fundamental marine science and commercial fish farming. Their LCA capability adds an environmental credibility angle that is increasingly demanded by regulators and retailers. For a consortium targeting Norway's aquaculture industry or EU Blue Economy calls, they offer a direct connection to one of Europe's most commercially significant marine sectors.

Highlights from their portfolio

• iFishIENCi
  Combines AI, IoT, algae-based feed, and LCA in a single aquaculture project — an unusually dense convergence of digital and sustainability themes for a food-sector IA grant.
• JERICO-NEXT
  Their largest funded project (EUR 194,917) and their entry into pan-European research infrastructure, providing the coastal marine science foundation on which their later aquaculture work rests.