In 2024 UCT combined engineering innovation (SMARTPOL pollution-monitoring systems), translational biotechnology (MariHealth aquaculture diagnostics), and practitioner training (ASTRAL summer school; IMTA research) to deliver industry-relevant technologies and practices that reduce harm to aquatic ecosystems. UCT’s projects typically pair academic teams with industry partners (e.g., Sirena Marine, AquaBioTech, agritech/aqua companies and spin-outs) and involve pilot testing, capacity-building and commercial pathways — providing concrete routes for the marine sector to detect pollution, manage animal health, adopt integrated low-impact farming systems, and base operational decisions on improved science of ocean oxygenation and ecosystem dynamics.

Marine pollution detection & monitoring technology (SMARTPOL consortium → industry partners)

UCT electrical-engineering researchers have been working in a multi-partner consortium to develop autonomous sensor networks, unmanned vessels and remote-sensing methods to detect and trace marine pollution (oil, debris) — technology explicitly designed to help authorities and industry identify pollution sources and enable rapid, targeted response that reduces ecological harm. The SMARTPOL project includes industrial partners (e.g., Sirena Marine Yachts, AquaBioTech Group) alongside academic partners and has piloted sensor/USV & satellite-data approaches for harbours and coastal waters. This project connects UCT engineering research directly with marine-industry actors to deliver practical pollution-monitoring tools.

Commercialisation & industry uptake in aquaculture (MariHealth spin-out)

UCT laboratory research on aquaculture animal health was taken forward into a commercial spin-out, MariHealth Solutions, which engaged global aquaculture industry stakeholders (customers, investors and field partners) to roll out diagnostic and health-management tools for farmed species. The research conducted by Professor Coyne’s lab over the years pointed to the obvious need for proactive health management in aquaculture, which was steered towards commercialisation with the help of the department’s Francois Oosthuizen and Dr Wasiu Afolabi. The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) was pivotal in funding some of the company’s earlier work through their seed funding, which looked at on-farm application of the abalone probiotic for settlement larvae in commercial hatcheries. This enabled the refinement of the probiotic, which is now being scaled for incorporation in abalone feed for testing in weaning-stage post-larval abalone. Currently, MariHealth Solutions is utilising proteomics as a molecular screening tool to assess the impact of farming operations and nutrition on fish and shellfish. This is a direct example of UCT research-to-industry translation that improves aquaculture practices (animal health, reduced losses, lower chemical/antibiotic use) — outcomes that support more sustainable, lower-impact marine farming.

Capacity-building for sustainable aquaculture and industry practitioners (ASTRAL Summer School & MPI-linked training)

UCT hosted targeted capacity-building events in 2024 focused on sustainable aquaculture practices — for example the ASTRAL summer school “Sustainable Seafood Production Through Integrated Aquaculture” (Jan 2024) and related short courses on integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. These courses brought together researchers, industry practitioners and postgraduate trainees to learn low-impact aquaculture systems, seaweed integration and animal-health strategies designed to reduce environmental pressure on coastal ecosystems. Such training directly transfers best practices to industry actors and future practitioners.

Research that informs industry practice and policy on marine oxygenation / ecosystem resilience

UCT oceanography researchers (for example Assoc Prof Sarah Fawcett and collaborators in UCT-MARiS) led 2024 research on oxygen and biogeochemical dynamics along African margins — work that informs fisheries management, aquaculture siting and industrial effluent standards by improving understanding of hypoxia and productivity drivers. This scientific evidence feeds into management recommendations that industry and regulators can use to avoid or mitigate ecosystem harm.

Future Water Institute / PaWS & Atlantis pilots - research partnerships with industry/consultants and municipal bodies (2024)

UCT’s Future Water Institute continued multi-partner projects in 2024 (PaWS - water-resilient South African cities; Atlantis pilot work) together with partners such as Umvoto, the French geological survey (BRGM), the City of Cape Town and funders. These projects combine engineering, groundwater work, community engagement and technology pilots to secure water supplies and reduce stress on natural aquatic systems. 
These projects bring together academic research, consulting firms and municipal infrastructure actors to test water-sensitive design and technological fixes (groundwater, recharge, reuse) that reduce pressure on rivers, estuaries and coastal ecosystems.

Applied wastewater / pollutant research with UCT authors (PFAS & coastal impacts, 2024)

Peer-reviewed research published in 2024 with UCT authors Prof Lesley Green and Cecilia Y. Ojemaye examined the efficacy of wastewater treatment plants at removing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the impacts of PFAS on the False Bay coastal environment. This is an academic↔applied evidence item directly relevant to technology choices at WWTWs and their downstream ecosystem effects.

Such applied studies inform industry and municipal choices about which treatment technologies are required to stop toxic contaminants reaching aquatic ecosystems.

Campus-scale technology pilots & living labs (2024) - wastewater reuse / waste-to-energy work

UCT’s campus sustainability programmes and Future Water “living lab” activities (part of Khusela-Ikamva and campus sustainability) ran 2024 studies and pilot work on wastewater reuse, decentralised treatment, and waste-to-energy pilots. These pilots test technologies that reduce pollutant loads and demand pressure on municipal water systems and downstream ecosystems.

Abalobi – mobile / web platform for digital catch recording and responsible seafood markets

The University of Cape Town has collaborated with the Abalobi initiative — a mobile-technology and traceability platform that empowers small-scale fishers to participate in sustainable, transparent fisheries management. The initiative combines community engagement, digital tools, and market incentives to reduce pressure on over-exploited and threatened fish stocks. — to provide training, community engagement and technology transfer that promote sustainable fishing practices, traceability and improved livelihoods.

Abalobi was co-founded by UCT fisheries researcher Dr Serge Raemaekers alongside small-scale fishers and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF). UCT supported workshops and co-design of the app, enabling fishers to record catches, engage with cooperatives and access markets. This partnership constitutes an educational outreach activity for coastal fishing communities, raising awareness of responsible fishing practices and contributing to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production). While the publicly documented evidence dates to the mid-2010s, the ongoing scale-up of the Abalobi platform (now working with over 1,600 fishers in South Africa) indicates sustained impact and relevance to UCT’s community-engagement mandate.