SeaWheat mobilise industry partners to explore and promote the potential of Ulva
It is well recognised that climate change is increasing food production pressure. Couple the impact generated by droughts, floods, and heatwaves together with the fact that world food production needs to increase by 70% to feed the world population by 2050, it becomes clear that we need to explore alternative food sources and production methods.
What about looking at our oceans? Seaweed provides a novel, alternative sustainable food source and bioproducts for human and animal consumption. According to the FAO, seaweed culture has grown faster than any other marine food production sector in the last 20 years, experiencing an annual global growth rate of 7.7% with global production exceeding 35 million tonnes in 2020. The challenge is now to learn how to cultivate the ocean using an ecological approach.
Ulva is considered one of the most usable seaweeds, with food, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and biotech applications. An Ulva farm can produce a yield several times higher than that of terrestrial plantations. It can be grown using a variety of methods, but the most common method is called aquaculture, which involves cultivating the seaweed in a controlled environment. Aquaculture is a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to produce Ulva as it requires minimal resources and produces minimal waste.
Tastes and benefits of Ulva
Ulva, commonly known as sea lettuce, has a mild, slightly salty flavour with a slightly nutty aftertaste. The texture is usually tender, similar to spinach or lettuce, with a slightly chewy or crunchy texture depending on how it’s prepared. It’s often used in salads, soups, and as a garnish for seafood dishes. As a highly versatile product, Ulva’s benefits range from nutritional to environmental and economic.
Seaweed has long been part of the daily diet in countries like China and Japan but what role could it play in the future of European gastronomy? Is this green plant the key to making our food systems more sustainable and meeting future global food needs? Do we have the scientific, technological, and industrial capacity to produce Ulva at a scale needed to relieve the growing pressure on our food system?
Introducing SeaWheat
To address this topic is COST Action Tommorrow’s ‘Wheat of the Sea’: Ulva, a model for an innovative mariculture (SeaWheat), working to acquaint the traditional European diet and taste with Ulva as a new, sustainable, and safe food item. Its aim is to step towards a green economy based on Ulva mass production and its utilisation within the European community and beyond.
The network currently comprises 275 researchers and innovators from 36 countries and is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together experts from fields such as biology, ecology, aquaculture, engineering, economics, and social sciences. It will help fill Ulva’s scientific, regulatory, social and practical knowledge gaps paving the way for commercial production in blue-biotech industries.
“The main goal of SeaWheat is to create a comprehensive step change in the knowledge of the entire Ulva genus. The advanced knowledge promoted by SeaWheat Action will create businesses and job opportunities in maritime and coastal economies, resulting in a significantly positive impact on societal welfare.”
Prof. Muki Spiegel from the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences University of Haifa and Chair of SeaWheat COST Action
Getting SMEs involved in SeaWheat
Much of the knowledge on Ulva, generated in diverse scientific disciplines and different communities, is not easily comparable nor is it shared among scientists, stakeholders, end users, or the public.
Fulfilling SeaWheat’s objectives to explore future commercial applications and the economic potential of Ulva would be almost impossible without the active involvement of industry players. There are at least 25 SMEs currently involved in the network, and even more are interested, making it the COST Action with the largest involvement of SMEs. Embedding industry participation in the design and execution of Ulva research is important for several reasons:
Practical relevance: By involving industry partners in the research, the project can be designed to address practical challenges and issues faced by the industry. This ensures that the research outcomes are relevant and valuable to industry stakeholders, which can help to promote the adoption and implementation of the research findings.
Knowledge transfer: Industry partners can bring valuable knowledge and expertise to the research project, which can enhance the quality and scope of the research. Collaborating with industry can also facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and industry, which can help to bridge the gap between research and practice.
Funding and resources: Industry partners can provide funding and other resources to support the research project, which can help increase the research’s scale and impact. Collaborating with industry can also help to leverage additional funding and resources from government agencies and other organizations.
Implementation and adoption: By involving industry partners in the research, the project can be designed to facilitate the implementation and adoption of the research findings by industry stakeholders. This can help to ensure that the research outcomes are translated into real-world applications and have a meaningful impact on industry practices and policies.
“Overall, embedding industry participation in Ulva research can help to ensure that the research outcomes are relevant, useful, and impactful for industry stakeholders, while also facilitating knowledge transfer and leveraging resources to support the research project.”
Dr Karina Balina, Science Communication Coordinator for SeaWheat
Branching out
Lunch with Ulva
Lunch with Ulva is a monthly online webinar series organized by SeaWheat.
This hour-long event will take place on the last Thursday of every month at 1pm CET, starting from 27th April.
Lunch with Ulva is aimed at students, marine biologists, seaweed researchers, and companies working with seaweed along the value chain. SeaWheat’s goal is to create a platform for all interested parties to come together, share knowledge, and network with like-minded individuals. Learn more.
Call for Short-Term Scientific Missions
SEAWHEAT is proud to announce its 3rd call for applications for Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs), specifically intended for Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) to contribute to the development of their career goals and COST Action deliverables. If you’re an Early-Stage Researcher, this is a perfect opportunity for you to gain new technical competencies and collaborate with other scientists. The deadline for submitting applications is May 10 2023, and the missions are scheduled to take place between June 1, 2023 and September 10, 2023, including the submission of final reports. Learn more.
Additional information
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