On 11 September 2026, INNOAQUA and the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) held the second webinar in their series on algae-based innovation for combined aquaculture production. Organised in partnership with Chile’s Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP) and followed live by nearly 100 participants, the online event turned the spotlight on South America and on the use of algal extracts in food and non-food applications.
From Combined Production to Algae-Based Products
The first webinar, held in February, looked at how algae and animals can be farmed together, drawing on examples from Europe and Southeast Asia that included INNOAQUA’s land-based pilot for sole and seaweed in Portugal. This edition went one step further along the value chain, to what algae biomass can become once harvested. Moderated by Dorinde Kleinegris (NORCE) and Rodrigo Jaramillo Teufert (IFOP), the session opened with Dorinde’s overview of what INNOAQUA aims to achieve with algae.
Case Studies from Research and Industry
Speakers from Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Spain and France took the audience from seaweed farms to finished goods: market trends in South America’s seaweed sector, Chilean seaweed in food, microalgae for fish health, and bio-based additives for cosmetics and coatings.
Two INNOAQUA partners brought their own work to the programme. Derek Latil de Ros from ALGEMY showed microalgae-based ingredients developed for the food market, and Stive Pregent from Eranova introduced algae-based packaging. A panel moderated by Alistair Lane, Executive Director of EAS, closed the afternoon with a discussion on pilot results and the challenges of upscaling.
An Algae Community Across Four Continents
With speakers from four continents, the webinar showed how much the algae sector gains from looking beyond its own region. Chilean seaweed farming, microalgae research in Malaysia and product development in Spain and France are moving at different speeds and with different priorities, yet they meet the same questions when it comes to scaling up production and finding markets. Putting these experiences side by side lets researchers and companies compare approaches, learn from what already works elsewhere and find partners for future cooperation. For INNOAQUA, it was also a chance to place the work of ALGEMY and Eranova within that wider picture, next to producers who already operate at commercial scale.
This second edition completes the webinar series that INNOAQUA and EAS launched to connect the project with algae producers and researchers beyond Europe, first in Southeast Asia and now in South America.
If you missed the webinar, the recording will be available soon. Subscribe to the INNOAQUA newsletter at the bottom of this page to be notified when it is published and to stay informed about the project.
