Conference Program

Seagriculture EU
16 - 18 June 2026
Gothenburg, Sweden

Conference Program

The European seaweed industry in transition: survival, scale and real impact

Seagriculture EU 2026 will take place under the theme "The European seaweed industry in transition: survival, scale and real impact".

The European seaweed industry stands at a pivotal crossroads. On one side lies the challenge of survival in a rapidly shifting landscape shaped by evolving markets, tightening regulations, and the realities of climate change. On the other side lies the opportunity to scale sustainably - unlocking the industry’s true potential and creating meaningful, lasting impact. This conference will explore how the sector can navigate the path from promise to practice: addressing barriers to growth, fostering innovation, and shaping a resilient seaweed economy that delivers value to people, planet, and industry alike.

Program is tentative and subject to change.

Site visit to Nordic SeaFarm: Tuesday 16 June 2026

You are invited to an exclusive site visit to Nordic SeaFarm on 16th June. Find out more here.

Conference day 1: Wednesday 17 June 2026

08:00 - 09:00 Welcome Coffee

09:00 - 09:25 Opening of the conference

Welcome words

Kuno Jacobs, Managing Director, DLG Markets Benelux, The Netherlands

Welcome words

Margareta A Broang, Deputy Lord Mayor, City of Gothenburg, Sweden

Welcome words

President Renée Bengtsson, President, Region Västra Götaland, Sweden

Together we can cultivate the future

Christer Olausson, CEO, Nordic SeaFarm, Sweden

09:25 - 09:45 Keynote presentation
Will be announced shortly

Robert Carleke, Innovation Ventures Manager, Inter IKEA Group, Sweden

09:45 - 10:45 Session 1: The European seaweed industry in transition: survival, scale and real impact

The European seaweed industry stands at a crossroad — between survival and scaling toward sustainable growth. This session explores how businesses and researchers are navigating market maturity, regulation, and climate impact, and what it takes to turn potential into real, lasting change.

Seaweed legislation: a friend or foe?

Maya Miltell,Senior Project Manager, SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth, Germany

Modernizing Kelp Aquaculture Through Selective Breeding

Gary Molano, Chief Executive Officer, MacroBreed LLC, USA

10:45 - 11:15 Coffee Break / Trade Show

11:15 - 12:35 Session 2: Biostimulants and biomaterials: hype or hoax?

As seaweed-based biostimulants and biomaterials gain attention as green solutions for agriculture and industry, questions arise about their true effectiveness and scalability. This session examines the science behind the claims, the market drivers fueling the hype, and whether these innovations can deliver on their sustainability promise.

Seaweed in the construction industry: a practical case on designing seaweed based ceiling panels.

Kinge Gardien, Managing Director, Manatee Biomaterials, Sweden

Seaweed nanomaterials: the high value approach.

Dr. Mark Dorris, Chief Executive Officer, Mercel Ltd, United Kingdom

12:35 - 12:50 Exhibitor Showcase: Introduction of Trade Show Participants

12:50 - 14:05 Lunch / Trade Show

14:05 - 14:25 Keynote presentation
Mobilising financing for the European seaweed industry.

Adrien Vincent, President, Albatros Advisory , France

14:25 - 15:15 Session 3: Panel discussion on today’s financial needs for the maturing European seaweed industry

As the European seaweed industry moves from pilot to scale, financing models must evolve to meet new realities. This panel, , explores today’s investment landscape, the role of emerging offtakers platforms, and how collaboration across the value chain can unlock sustainable growth.

Moderator

Ola Jönsson, Co-founder, Partners in Quest, Sweden

Panelist

Alex Shapiro, Aquaculture Impact Investing Specialist, World Wildlife Fund, USA

Panelist

Michael White, Partner, Planet Ocean Capital, Luxembourg

15:15 - 15:45 Coffee Break / Trade Show

15:45 - 17:05 Session 4: Epic fails and honest tales: Mistakes that made us

Failure is an inevitable part of innovation — but it’s rarely discussed openly. In this session, entrepreneurs and researchers share candid stories of what went wrong, what they learned, and how those lessons shaped better science, stronger businesses, and more resilient people.

Tales of epic fails. Lessons learned from 30+ years cultivating seaweeds on-land.

Jeff Hafting, Ph.D., Applied Phycologist, Consultant, Totally Seaweed Consulting, Canada

Honest failures and unreliable successes in the seaweed world – some examples.

Franck Hennequart, Managing Director, ALGAIA, France

To be announced

David Mackie, Director, Marine Biopolymers Ltd, The United Kingdom

17:05 - 17:35 Seaweed Elevator Pitches

The Seaweed Elevator Pitches offer a unique, fast-paced, and diverse session where presenters have five minutes to deliver a concise, impactful presentation on their activities and innovative ideas. All topics are possible as long as they deal with seaweeds.

Post harvest stabilisation of Ulva fenestrata and Palmaria palmata -one shoe does not fit all

Mar Vall-llosera Juanola, PhD Student, Food & Nutrition Science division, Department of Life Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Seaweed Food Safety Guidance Manual

Jennifer Perry, Associate Professor, University of Maine, USA

The Missing Middle: Why Processing Will Decide the Future of Seaweed

Roy Henderson, CEO, Green Cell Technologies, United Kingdom

EABA - The European Algae Biomass Association

Jean-Paul Cadoret, Vice President, EABA, Italy

17:35 - 17:45 Closing of the conference day

Conference dinner at Feskekörka - Gothenburg's iconic Fish Church

Conference day 2: Thursday 18 June 2026

08:00 - 09:00 Welcome Coffee

09:00 - 09:15 Opening of the conference day

09:15 - 09:35 Keynote Presentation
From academy to industry: 30 years of seaweed research.

Pi Nyvall, Head of Scientific Affairs, Olmix, France

09:35 - 10:35 Session 5: Professionalizing the seaweed industry: learning from pioneers

As the seaweed sector matures, professionalization becomes key to its long-term success. This session brings together pioneers from both within the seaweed industry and from other industries, sharing experiences, best practices, and lessons learned in building robust, scalable, and credible enterprises.

Building Real Things for Real People: Setting Anchors for a Durable Blue Economy.

Samantha Garwin, Director of Market Development, GreenWave, USA

10:35 - 11:05 Coffee Break / Trade Show

11:05 - 12:25 Session 6: Overview of seaweed projects in EU and worldwide

Europe hosts a number of projects advancing seaweed cultivation, processing, and product innovation. This session offers an overview of key EU initiatives, alongside selected international projects, highlighting their goals, progress, and the collaborations shaping the global development of the seaweed sector.

Connecting the dots between and beyond individual seaweed projects: EU4Algae, the EU Mission Ocean and Waters, RootLinks and EITWater

Angela Schultz-Zehden, Managing Director, s.Pro sustainable-projects / SUBMARINER Network, Germany

Advancing Europe’s Seaweed Sector: SeaMark Results and Pathways to Commercial Exploitation.

Urd Grandorf Bak, Head of R&D Europe, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands

OLAMUR - large scale multi-use realisation of low trophic aquaculture together with offshore windfarms or fish farming

Øivind Bergh, Principal Scientist, Coordinator of OLAMUR , Institute of Marine Research, Norway

Seaweed Research in the Sultanate of Oman: Current Research and Future
Potential.

Ahmed Ali Al-Alawi, Associate Professor, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman

12:25 - 13:25 Lunch / Trade Show

13:25 - 13:45 Keynote Presentation
J-Blue Credits: Case studies from the world´s first state-backed, stackable, blue carbon credits for wild and farmed seaweeds.

Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda, CEO and Co-Founder, Restorae + Secretariat of International Affairs, Japan Blue Economy Association, Norway / Japan

13:45 - 14:45 Session 7: Seaweeds for value: carbon capture, biodiversity and beyond

Seaweeds offer more than just commercial potential — they play a vital role in carbon capture, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity enhancement. This session explores how science and industry are unlocking the full environmental and economic value of seaweeds, from climate mitigation to circular innovation.

From Carbon Removal to Ecosystem Recovery: How OAE Can Strengthen Marine Ecosystem Recovery.

Lorena Neira, Founder & CEO at Blusink, Blusink Ltd, United Kingdom

To be announced

Caroline Haukeland, Project Developer, SeaForester, Norway

Seaweed for Climate: Separating Real Mitigation from Wishful Thinking.

Jean-Baptiste Thomas, Researcher, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

14:45 - 15:00 Coffee Break / Trade Show

15:00 - 15:50 Seaweed Elevator Pitches

Developing integrative approaches for macroalgal indoor cultivation

Dr. Anna Fricke, Scientist, food4future (F4F) and SolKubiM c/o Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), Germany

Sustainable Macroalgae & Sargassum Valorization in Mexico

Juan Carlos Aguirre Martínez, Director of Strategic Projects, Bustamante + Freyre, Mexico/EU

Rapid, real time spectroscopic methods for quality control of seaweed.

Anna Þóra Hrólfsdóttir, Project Manager, Matís, Iceland

Advancing Blue Biorefinery Development in the Adriatic Sea (BIOBASED Project)

Matteo Francavilla, Associate Professor in Organic Chemistry, STAR*Facility Centre – Department of Agriculture, Foods, Natural Resources and Engineering (DAFNE) – University of Foggia, Italy

Beyond biomass: can seaweed aquaculture provide solutions for the biodiversity and climate polycrisis?

Hayley Swanlund, PhD researcher, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), United Kingdom

15:50 - 16:00 Closing of the conference

*The conference program is subject to change*

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Conference Program

Seagriculture EU16 - 18 June 2026Gothenburg, Sweden