In the first half of this year, IREAS is implementing two important contracts for the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, specifically for the Managing Authority of the Operational Programme Fisheries. Both contracts concern the currently crucial issues of setting eligible expenditure, their evaluation in the context of the market situation and setting financial limits. While the first project is specifically focused on the issue of recirculation facilities and also on the possibilities of future support for aquaponics (including setting the technological parameters for support), the second project focuses on all other planned measures in the aforementioned operational programme and the revision or addition of financial limits.

Specifics of both projects:

• Recirculation facilities and Aquaponics in OP Fisheries 2021-2027
  The subject of the public procurement is the setting of definitions related to recirculation facilities and hatcheries (“intensive aquaculture systems”), the setting of the code of eligible expenditure for measure 2.1.3 Investments in intensive aquaculture systems of the OP Fisheries 2021-2027 (including Aquaponics) including financial limits; then the setting of minimum technical parameters of the breeding equipment so that the bids submitted under the public procurement are comparable; and finally the setting of the evaluation criteria for measure 2.1.3 Investments in intensive aquaculture systems including Aquaponics facilities.
• Financial limits of the OP Fisheries 2021-2027
  The subject of the contract is the revision of the existing financial limits/sub-limits, the addition of financial limits/sub-limits and the extension of the code list with new items where appropriate. All the sub-performances concern the eligible expenditure dials and financial limits for eligible expenditure for activities 2.1.1 Innovation, 2.1.2 Investment in aquaculture and 2.2.2 Processing of OP Fisheries 2021-2027 products.

Both projects have deadlines for the submission of interim deliverables, however the overall finalisation of both projects will be in June 2022.