On 8 January 2026, Valorial brought together researchers, businesses and institutional stakeholders at the Technocampus Alimentation in Nantes for a morning of discussions focused on the seaweed sector, organised as part of the European Hub4Food project, in collaboration with the Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique.
Following an overview of the seaweed sector in the Pays de la Loire region, participants worked together to identify avenues for innovative projects covering the entire value chain: production and supply, processing and stabilisation of seaweed, as well as market and acceptability issues.
The discussions highlighted significant potential for innovation, particularly regarding the upscaling of processes, the valorisation of co-products, the improvement of the bioavailability of active ingredients derived from algae, and the structuring of sectors capable of meeting industrial and societal expectations. They also confirmed stakeholders’ interest in collaborative, structuring projects and Valorial’s key role in supporting the emergence and structuring of innovation initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable and competitive algae sectors.
