The Algae ProBanos Project Kicks-Off: Algae as a Sustainable Biomass of the Future As a carbon dioxide absorber and oxygen emitter, algae can contribute to mitigating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Provided that they do not require arable land, fresh water or fertilisers to flourish, algae can also be a sustainable biomass resource for a number of applications. Our recently launched EU project Algae ProBANOS will explore the potential of algae as biomass and develop sustainable and circular product value chains related to it in the North and Baltic Sea. The objective of Algae ProBanos, which stands for Accelerating Algae Product Developments in the Baltic and North Sea, is to showcase the potential of algae-based products by developing the eight product value chains based on micro-algae and seaweed sourced from the North and Baltic Sea: Bioactive nutraceuticals Food snacks Food components from micro-algae Protein-rich aqua feed Feed components Textile applications Bio stimulants Algal oils for cosmetics The product development will take place in six pilots across the EU, namely in Germany, Finland, Denmark, Estonia (two pilots) and Norway. The product value chains will be developed in a sustainable and circular manner to allow for upscaling while protecting the environment and in direct contribution to the EU Mission “Restore Our Oceans and Waters”. By the end of the project, the business pilots will have concrete go-to-market strategies in place, outlining how products will be successfully brought to market. A central component of the project are multi-stakeholder co-creation activities based on the concept of Living Labs, led by the CSCP. “Feel the Sea” labs will bring together the product developers, consumers and companies to collaboratively determine consumer needs and expectations. Products will be validated while being developed, increasing chances of market acceptance and uptake as consumer feedback can be immediately integrated into product development. Throughout the project, Interactive Algae Journeys will be developed to make information on algae available digitally and in engaging formats. The project was officially kicked-off in May 2023 in Berlin. Algae ProBanos is funded by the European Commission, it brings together the CSCP and 25 other partners and will run for four years. The project coordinator is SubmarinerNetwork. For further questions, please contact Pawel Zylka.