On March 26, Biotech Santé Bretagne (BSB), in partnership with the Brittany Algae Cluster and the Trade Association for Algae and Marine Plants, organized a collaborative workshop bringing together some 40 Breton stakeholders from the algae sector. This event was part of the European BIOCHAINS Atlantic project, which aims to optimize and strengthen the micro- and macroalgal biomass value chains in the Atlantic region.
The BIOCHAINS Atlantic project: a catalyst for the algae industry
The Interreg Atlantic Area BIOCHAINS Atlantic project brings together 7 partners from 4 countries (Spain, Portugal, France, and Ireland) for a period of 30 months. Its goal is to improve the sustainability and efficiency of seaweed value chains in the agri-food and cosmetics sectors by engaging all stakeholders in the industry. Biotech Santé Bretagne is leading the project in the Brittany region.
Brittany already plays a leading role in this sector. In 2021, more than 70,000 tons of macroalgae were harvested in the region, mainly in Finistère and Côtes-d’Armor. In 2019, the sector already accounted for nearly 880 jobs and approximately €125 million in revenue in the Brest region alone.
A collaborative workshop to identify challenges and develop solutions together
Participants in our March 26 workshop, representing the entire value chain (producers, harvesters, processors, clusters, technical centers, etc.), focused on four key themes:
- Regulatory barriers;
- Technical challenges (two areas: Production/Harvesting & Processing);
- Business models;
- The environmental approach.
The sector’s goal is to maximize the value of seaweed and its co-products as much as possible.
There are numerous opportunities for value creation, and it is specifically the role of Biotech Santé Bretagne to connect producers with primary and secondary processors who will utilize the co-products, as well as technical centers capable of providing the technologies necessary for this circular economy.
Roland Conanec, Head of Biotechnology Sector Development at Biotech Santé Bretagne
Our workshop also provided an opportunity for the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries, and Aquaculture (DGAMPA) and the professional organizations in attendance to discuss concrete issues with stakeholders on the ground and to align these discussions with the priorities of the national roadmap.
Next steps: share and propose solutions
This first workshop helped identify priority areas of focus for better utilization of algae, which will also be compared with those highlighted in workshops organized by the other European partners of the BIOCHAINS Atlantic project, with the aim of strengthening the development of the sector at the European level.
This workshop fostered excellent synergy among the participating stakeholders, and we observed a strong commitment to finding collective solutions at the regional and European levels.
Gorenka Bojadzija Savic and Stéphane Tarrade, project coordinators for BIOCHAINS Atlantic at Biotech Santé Bretagne
To learn more about the agenda for the March 26 workshop, visit this page…
To learn more about the European BIOCHAINS Atlantic project, contact:
- Stéphane Tarrade, Project Manager for “Biomass Valorization” > stephane@biotech-sante-bretagne.fr
- Gorenka Bojadzija Savic, Development and European Projects Manager > gorenka@biotech-sante-bretagne.fr
(Translated with DeepL.com)
Published on 22/05/2026
