Site visit to Nordic SeaFarm: Tuesday 16 June 2026
Conference Programme
Conference Programme
Seagriculture EU
15 - 17 June 2027
Ostend, Belgium
Conference Programme
See the Seagriculture EU 2026 conference programme here
You are invited to an exclusive site visit to Nordic SeaFarm on 16th June. Find out more here.
Departure at Gothenburg Central Station: 08:00
Back at Gothenburg Central Station: 17:00
Conference day 1: Wednesday 17 June 2026
08:00 - 09:00 Welcome Coffee
09:00 - 09:25 Opening of the conference
Welcome words
Prof. Katharina Riehn, Vice President, DLG, Germany
Welcome words
Margareta Broang, Deputy Lord Mayor, City of Gothenburg, Sweden
Welcome words
Renée Bengtsson, President, Region Västra Götaland, Sweden
Together we can cultivate the future
Christer Olausson, CEO, Nordic SeaFarm, Sweden
Morning Chair: Ólavur Gregersen, CEO & Co-founder, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands
09:25 - 09:45 Keynote presentation
From ocean to home: How IKEA explores seaweed-based materials
09:25 - 09:45 Keynote presentation
From ocean to home: How IKEA explores seaweed-based materials
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.
09:45 - 10:05 Seaweed legislation: a friend or foe?
09:45 - 10:05 Seaweed legislation: a friend or foe?
Maya Miltell, Senior Project Manager, SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth, Germany
10:05 - 10:25 Towards seaweed as a key player in our future food system
10:05 - 10:25 Towards seaweed as a key player in our future food system
Ingrid Undeland, Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Life Sciences - Food and Nutrition Science (FNS), Sweden
10:25 - 10:45 Modernizing kelp aquaculture through selective breeding
10:25 - 10:45 Modernizing kelp aquaculture through selective breeding
Gary Molano, Chief Executive Officer, MacroBreed LLC, USA
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee Break / Trade Show
10:45 - 11:05: Keynote Presentation
Power, Codification, and Collaboration: A Governance Perspective on the European Seaweed Industry
10:45 - 11:05: Keynote Presentation
Power, Codification, and Collaboration: A Governance Perspective on the European Seaweed Industry
Sander van den Burg, PhD, Senior Researcher, Wageningen Social & Economic Research, The Netherlands
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.
11:05 - 11:25 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
11:25 - 11:45 Advancing Europe’s seaweed sector: SeaMark results and pathways to commercial exploitation
Urd Grandorf Bak, Head of R&D Europe, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands
11:45 - 12:05 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
12:05 - 12:25 Seaweed-Protein 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
Xu Ben Zhang, Managing Director, Kelp Forest Foundation, The Netherlands
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.
13:45 - 14:05 From carbon removal to ecosystem recovery: How OAE can strengthen marine ecosystem recovery
13:45 - 14:05 From carbon removal to ecosystem recovery: How OAE can strengthen marine ecosystem recovery
Lorena Neira, Founder & CEO, Blusink Ltd, United Kingdom
14:05 - 14:25 Seaforestation: Nature-Based Approaches to Kelp Forest Restoration at Scale
14:05 - 14:25 Seaforestation: Nature-Based Approaches to Kelp Forest Restoration at Scale
Caroline Haukeland, Project Developer, SeaForester, Norway
14:25 - 14:45 Beyond biomass: can seaweed aquaculture provide solutions for the biodiversity and climate polycrisis?
14:25 - 14:45 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
14:45 - 15:00 Coffee Break / Trade Show
15:00 - 15:50 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.
Developing integrative approaches for macroalgal indoor cultivation
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
Sustainable macroalgae & Sargassum valorization in Mexico
Juan Carlos Aguirre Martínez, Director of Strategic Projects, Bustamante + Freyre, Mexico/EU
A roadmap for seaweed-based products as a pathway to decarbonization at scale
A roadmap for seaweed-based products as a pathway to decarbonization at scale
Nikhil Neelakantan, Senior Program Officer, Ocean Visions, USA
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)
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
Hybrid Coastal Enterprises: Integrating Seaweed Innovation into Existing Coastal Economies
Hybrid Coastal Enterprises: Integrating Seaweed Innovation into Existing Coastal Economies
Sarah Carpenter, Lecturer and Researcher, Goldsmiths - University of London, United Kingdom
Boosting seaweed valorisation in Morocco: State of the art and valorisation potential
Boosting seaweed valorisation in Morocco: State of the art and valorisation potential
Mounia Lekrati, Professor and Researcher in Food Process Engineering, Higher Institute of Marine Fisheries, Morocco
15:50 - 16:00 Closing of the conference
15:50 - 16:00 Closing of the conference
Maris Stulgis, Policy Officer Blue Bioeconomy, Algae and Aquaculture, DG MARE, European Commission, Belgium
*The conference program is subject to change*
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