Published on 21 November 2024
The Insider’s Perspective shines a spotlight on the innovative and cutting-edge partners shaping the future of the algae sector. In this twelfth edition, we focus on GreenCoLab and its pivotal role in bridging the gap between algae research and industry, transferring valuable knowledge and technology to foster progress in algae innovation. Keep reading to discover how this leading organisation is advancing the algae sector.
GreenCoLab: Driving algae-based solutions for food, feed, agriculture and beyond
GreenCoLab, a non-profit research & innovation organisation in Faro, Portugal, bridges academic and industry needs in micro- and macroalgae research. It consists of ten Portuguese partners, including two research institutions (CCMAR and CIIMAR), a state laboratory (LNEG), a university (UAVR), and six private companies (Algaplus, Allmicroalgae, Gopsis (also related to the Greener Grazing project), Iberagar, Necton, and Sparos). Together, they work to develop a Research and Innovation Agenda in marine algae biotechnology centred on maximising the algae value chain – from cultivating and processing its biomass, and assessing its sustainability, to generating innovative applied solutions for diverse industries, promoting open knowledge-sharing initiatives and community engagement activities.
From Lab to Market: Unlocking algae’s potential in diverse industries
GreenCoLab fosters innovation advancement and promotes economic diversification and valorisation through algae in blue biotechnology and sustainable bioeconomy growth. It addresses sector gaps and emerging trends for the algae stakeholders while capitalising on its team’s expertise, modern infrastructure, and industry networks. The organisation offers a wide range of market-oriented products and services, focusing on innovation, efficiency, customisation, and portfolio diversification.
Services
GreenCoLab offers a suite of B2B services to international and Portuguese clients across the entire algae value chain, including scientific and academic institutions and businesses of all sizes:
- Specialised Service Platforms: Advanced biotech research and applied solutions for companies and research institutions with algae-related innovations in areas like chemical analytics (proximate and biochemical composition, bioactivities, and nutrition water analysis), biorefinery (processing and biomass valorisation), molecular biology (genomics and transcriptomics), and functional properties analysis for food matrices. Consult here for more.
- Contract Research: Tailored in-depth research in Life Cycle Assessment, techno-economic analysis, screening of functional properties of ingredients in animal nutrition, algal strain improvement, contaminants identification and mitigation solutions, biobanking through its Industrial Biotechnology Algal Bank (IBAB), pilot-scale biorefinery operations, among other solutions – thus, aiding industries in enhancing algae-based products and processes.
- Consulting: Strategic consultancy services for organisations in European grant and funding proposal preparation, drafting, and submission, R&D counselling in algae-related technical solutions and operations, and business strategy.
- Training: Specialised and customised training in innovative practices and methodologies in algae biotechnology, sustainability, and algae production for both corporate and academic teams.
Products
GreenCoLab also designs and develops customer-centric prototypes of algae-based innovations, such as nutritious and ready-to-cook/eat food products and beverages (e.g., algae-based patties, caviar, kombucha, and beer) and technological solutions (e.g., connectable and functional cost-effective photobioreactors, contaminants detection kits for algae production, and biostimulants solutions).
EU4Algae: Building bridges for algae sector growth
The EU4Algae initiative plays a transformative role in advancing the algae sector by uniting key stakeholders, amplifying their voices in policy discussions, and spotlighting algae’s potential on the global stage. EU4Algae has a mission to raise public awareness about the vital role of algae in our daily lives and its significance for achieving a sustainable, green transition while working to mainstream algae as a cornerstone of the bioeconomy. In our opinion, some of EU4Algae’s key activities include:
- Building Industry Connections: Through the European Algae Stakeholder Forum, EU4Algae bring together industry leaders, researchers, and advocates to align interests and drive sector-wide growth.
- Promoting Public Awareness: Hosting the first-ever EU Algae Awareness Summit in Paris to showcase algae's role in sustainability.
- Facilitating Investment Opportunities: Connecting investors with innovative startups via events like the BlueInvest x EU4Algae Online E-Pitching, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of algae-based ventures.
With these initiatives, EU4Algae is accelerating growth and collaboration across the industry, paving the way for algae as an essential resource in a sustainable future.
GreenCoLab’s Future Path: Expanding algae’s potential
The algae sector has vast growth potential, containing a margin of space for market penetration and social awareness. As algae technologies continue to advance and become part of our daily lives, industry demand will progressively increase, leading to a reduction in production prices and allowing algae industry stakeholders to achieve the ultimate objective of making algae a commodity.
As the algae sector continues to evolve, GreenCoLab remains committed to expanding algae's potential, driving its adoption across industries, and helping make algae a driving force in our sustainable, algae-powered future.
For further insights into GreenCoLab’s pioneering initiatives, explore their press releases:
- GreenCoLab Unveils Innovative Microalgae and Seaweed-Based Caviar, Burgers, and Beer (18 April 2024)
- Yellow Chlorella vulgaris and GCL recognised as Tech Ready and Key Innovator, respectively, by the European Commission’s Innovation Radar (24 September 2024)
- Hugo Pereira and associated partners from GreenCoLab featured the prestigious list of “World’s Top 2% Scientists” 2024, by Stanford/Elsevier (26 September 2024)
Stay Connected with GreenCoLab
Stay updated on GreenCoLab’s latest news by visiting their official website and following them on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Have you heard about the EU4Algae Interactive Platform?
Designed to promote algae product awareness and increase consumer knowledge, the EU4Algae Interactive Platform offers a range of activities. Take the EU4Algae Quiz to test your algae knowledge, participate in our Survey to share your algae-eating habits (the first 200 respondents get a free eBook!) and play the interactive Game to discover which type of algae you are.