Conference Program
Seagriculture EU
21- 22 June 2023
Trondheim, Norway
The Seagriculture EU 2023 conference program is designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the seaweed industry, from the latest research to practical applications in the marketplace. With a diverse range of sessions, the conference provides an opportunity for attendees to learn from experts in the field, network with industry professionals, and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the seaweed industry.
20 June 2023
15:00 - 17:00 Walking seaweed tour at Korsvika Beach
15:00 - 17:00 Site visit to SINTEF and NTNUs laboratories
Conference day 1: Wednesday 21 June 2023
9:00 - 9:30 Opening of the conference
Kuno Jacobs, Managing Director, DLG Benelux, the Netherlands
Bjørnar Skjæran, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, NorwayVegar Johansen, CEO, SINTEF Ocean, Norway
Morning Chair: Simon Freeman, Program Director, ARPA-E, USA
9:30 - 9:50 Keynote presentation:
Fantasy and reality related to scaling up seaweed cultivation
Olavur Gregersen, CEO, Co-founder, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands
9:50 - 11:10 Session 1: Offshore seaweed farming
This session discusses the opportunities and challenges related to seaweed cultivation under offshore conditions. Aspects such as smart farming, mechanization, and offshore wind parks will be discussed.
9:50 - 10:10: Seaweed Solutions AS, the past, present, and the future. What lessons have we learned after 14 years in operation and what do we think about the future?
Ole Christian Norvik, CEO, Seaweed Solutions, Norway
10:10 - 10:30: Overcoming bottlenecks: advancements in mechanization for the seaweed Industry
Jonas Kamasauskas, Head of R&D, Metal Production, Lithuania
Dr. Jessica Knoop, Postdoctoral Researcher, Ghent University, Phycology Research Group, Belgium
10:50 - 11:10: Resolving ‘offshore’ aquaculture: the distinct effects of distance and exposure energy on the levelized cost of seaweed
Tobias Dewhurst, Ocean Engineer, Kelson Marine, USA
11:10 - 11:40 Coffee Break / Trade Show
11:40 - 12:00 Keynote presentation:
Global Seaweed Coalition scaling-up and future work
Sofya Mishchenko, Project Manager, United Nations Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition, Norway
12:00 - 12:40 Session 2: Seaweed of the year 2023: sea lettuce
In December 2022 the SEAGRICULTURE community chose the seaweed of the year 2023! During this session 2 experts will present their recent work in this area.
12:00 - 12:20: Industrial aquaculture of sea lettuce (Ulva) – a strong research basis enables the development of a sustainable future crop
Dr. Sophie Steinhagen, Researcher, University of Gothenburg – Tjärnö, Marine Laboratory, Sweden & Germany
Dr. Yossi Tal, CTO, Seakura, Israel
12:40 - 14:10 Lunch / Trade Show
Afternoon Chair: Pi Nyvall Collén, Scientific Director, Olmix Group, France
14:10 - 15:10 Session 3: Seaweed breeding and hatchery aspects
In order to increasing cultivation yields and profitability seaweed breeding is very important. During this session 3 seaweed breeding experts will present their vision and results.
14:10 - 14:30: Selective breeding innovations for more competitive kelp farming
Scott Lindell, Research Specialist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
Gold Winner of Innovation Award at Seagriculture USA 2022
14:30 - 14:50: Cultivating Palmaria palmata in Denmark – where are we and what is to come?
Mette Møller Nielsen, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, DTU Aqua, Denmark
14:50 - 15:10: Let's talk about kelp breeding. Where are we? Are we prepared? Current and promising strategies with a realistic perspective
15:10 - 15:40 Coffee Break / Trade Show
15:40 - 16:40 Session 4: Panel discussion on seaweed investments and business aspects
Moderator: Eef Brouwers, Manager Operations, Co-founder, North Sea Farmers, The Netherlands
During this panel discussion, three seaweed business and investment experts will share their vision on the seaweed industry in Europe and abroad, on needs and expectations, and on what the next steps should be.
Ross Brooks, Partner, Katapult Ocean, Norway
Piers Lakin, Senior Associate, Ocean 14 Capital, United Kingdom
16:40 - 17:00 Keynote presentation: ARPA-E and MARINER: efforts to grow the U.S. macroalgal cultivation industry and beyond
Simon Freeman, Program Director, ARPA-E, USA
17:00 - 17:10 Closing of the conference day
17:10 - 18:30 Seaweed Happy Hour
18:30 - 20:30 Conference dinner
Conference day 2: Thursday 22 June 2023
9:00 - 9:10 Opening of the conference
Morning Chair: Bailey Moritz, Program Officer - Aquaculture, World Wildlife Fund, USA
9:10 - 9:30 Keynote presentation:
The potential for seaweed cultivation in Norway and technologies for realizing it in a sustainable way
Ole Jacob Broch, Senior Scientist, SINTEF Ocean, Norway
9:30 - 10:30 Session 5: Seaweed activities in Norway
During this session, key representatives of the Norwegian seaweed scene will share their recent results and vision on the development of the seaweed industry in Norway.
9:30 - 9:50: Nutrimar’s learnings so far and our future plan with value creation from our blue forest
Edgar Skjervold, Chief Executive Officer, Nutrimar, Norway
9:50 - 10:10: Disruptive technology to enable a scaling seaweed industry
Kim Kristensen, Founder, CEO, Arctic Seaweed AS, Norway
Gabriele Kasparaviciute, Artificial Intelligence Manager, Alginor ASA, Norway
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break / Trade Show
11:00 - 11:20 Keynote presentation:
Seaweed applications, diversity, and challenges
Dr. Pi Nyvall Collén, Scientific Director, Olmix Group, France
11:20 - 12:00 Session 6: Landbased seaweed cultivation
Land-based seaweed cultivation has distinct differences with seaweed,farming at sea. Two pioneers in land-based cultivation will talk about the state of play.
Fredrik Åkerman, CEO, Co-Founder, Volta Greentech, Sweden
Esben Rimi Christiansen, Founder, Leader, Pure Algae, Denmark
Wouter Visch, Researcher & Lecturer, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), Australia
12:20 - 13:50 Lunch / Trade Show
Afternoon Chair: Scott Lindell, Research Specialist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
13:50 - 15:10 Session 7: Product development and applications based on seaweeds
During this session four speakers will present various seaweed applications.
13:50 - 14:10: Exploring the potential of biostimulants in agriculture and sports turf: seaweed variants and beyond
Luke Davidson, Founder, Abundigro, The Netherlands
14:10 - 14:30: New products from seaweeds
Trond Helgerud, Seaweed R&D Leader, DuPont Nutrition Norge AS (IFF), Norway
Urd Grandorf Bak, Chief Research Officer, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands
Alwin Kool, CEO, Co-founder, SeaweedTech, The Dutch Seaweed Group,
The Netherlands
15:10 - 15:30: Takeaways from a kelp farming knowledge exchange in South Korea
Bailey Moritz, Program Officer - Aquaculture, World Wildlife Fund, USA
15:30 - 15:40 Final Notes
Maris Stulgis, Policy Officer, Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture, and Maritime Spatial Planning, European Commission, DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Belgium
15:40 - 15:50 Closing of the conference
Katrin I Gregersen, Administration Manager, Ocean Rainforest, Faroe Islands
*The conference program is subject to change*