EU launches four new projects to advance sustainable algae farming and blue innovation hubs

Four new projects have officially been launched to create innovation hubs off the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, scale up sustainable algae farming and develop new algae products in Europe. With a total of €5.7 million, they will help accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient blue economy in Europe's seas and coastal regions.

The projects are funded under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), following the call for proposals for smart specialisation and regenerative ocean farming, launched in September 2024.

The EMFAF call focused on two key areas: 1) fostering Smart Specialisation Partnerships across EU sea basins 2) demonstrating the feasibility and environmental benefits of regenerative ocean farming.

These initiatives reflect the EU's broader ambition to drive innovation, circularity and climate neutrality in the blue economy.

MED-Hubs - Mediterranean Blue Economy Hubs: Maritime Innovation for Smart Specialisation
These hubs will bring together SMEs, startups, investors, research institutions, policymakers and coastal communities, creating a dynamic framework for collaboration. Through open calls, pilot projects and a tailored "From Idea to Market" programme, MED-Hubs will help promising technologies reach commercial maturity.

ATL.A.HUB - Atlantic Hubs to boost Marine Algae Land-based Aquaculture and Biotechnology
The project aims to address the main bottlenecks in the European value-chain of algae production. The assumption is that European land-based algae aquaculture can be accelerated by relying on specific hubs that offer shared infrastructure, equipment, services and knowledge about the regulatory framework.

OCEAN GARDENS - a scalable and modular approach to open-ocean seaweed aquafarming for sustainable products enabling carbon dioxide removal and marine ecosystem co-benefits
The projectpioneers offshore seaweed farming in European waters. Using innovative floating structures, the project will demonstrate large-scale, environmentally responsible cultivation of native seaweedspecies.

SEAGROW - Seaweed in Ecosystem Enhancing Aquaculture for Growth and Sustainability.
The project seeks to demonstrate how large-scale regenerative ocean farming can work as a viable business model delivering measurable ecosystem benefits.

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