This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 1 2026.
By combining expert mentorship with hands-on support, the Horizon Europe project AlgaeProBANOS is helping a new generation of algae innovators overcome scaling and market barriers, strengthening Europe’s growing algae sector.
Across Europe, algae are stepping into the spotlight once again. Long used for centuries in food, farming and traditional practices, these remarkable organisms are now being reimagined through modern science, new technologies and innovative business models. Algae are proving that old solutions can unlock new answers. This renewed interest is reflected in European Commission initiatives and studies—such as EU4Algae and the Study to support a Sustainable EU Algae Industry—which highlight the growing role of both micro- and macroalgae in building more sustainable, resilient and circular production systems in Europe.
Turning this promise into a commercial reality, however, is far from straightforward. High production costs, limited data, and the challenge of scaling up continue to hold back many algae-based solutions. Meeting these challenges calls for coordinated action across the sector, a role taken on by AlgaeProBANOS, a Horizon Europe project working to turn algae innovation into sustainable, market-ready solutions.
A milestone for the blue bioeconomy
As part of this effort, the AlgaeProBANOS project has successfully completed its first Algae Accelerator, a mentorship programme created to empower algae startups and SMEs across Europe and Horizon Europe-associated countries. Coordinated by the SUBMARINER Network and F6S, the accelerator provided six months of tailored, expert mentorship—valued at up to €10,000 per participant—at no cost to help companies advance their innovations towards market readiness.
The first open call attracted a diverse pool of applicants from across Europe, highlighting the breadth and dynamism of the continent’s algae innovation landscape. The selected start-ups cover a wide range of applications, from microalgae-based wastewater treatment and food fermentation to algae-based materials for the hospitality sector, among others. Participants were matched with experienced mentors specialising in areas such as cultivation, certification, regulatory compliance, product development, and business strategy. The value of this tailored support is best illustrated through the experiences of the participating companies themselves.
L’eautelier uses algae to sustainably remodel hotel interiors
One of the selected participants, Portugal-based L’Eautelier, addresses the hospitality sector’s renovation waste challenge. Hotels typically refurbish every five to ten years, with entire guest rooms often sent to landfill. Morgan Rae, founder of L’Eautelier, reimagines this model by designing hotel interiors using marine-based materials such as algae and bivalves that are recyclable or biodegradable, turning hospitality spaces into closed-loop systems.
Thanks to the programme, L’Eautelier moved rapidly from concept to implementation. Thanks to the Algae Accelerator, the company graduated from concept to action—launching its pilot project, Seaweed Suite™, and developing investor-ready materials in both English and French. The mentorship, says Ms Rae, provided strategic clarity at a critical growth stage.
Latvian start-up AlgaePhos4X adds value to wastewater
Another participant in the first cohort of the Algae Accelerator, Latvian start-up AlgaePhos4X, represented by Aigars Lavrinovičs and Alina Dolmate, is developing microalgae-based solutions for wastewater treatment that recover nutrients and water from food production side streams. By optimising cultivation processes, the technology enables higher treatment capacity with a smaller footprint, transforming wastewater management into a circular process that produces useful algal biomass for value-added applications. Commenting on the mentorship, the two representatives highlighted the impact of external expertise on both technical positioning and business focus. They found the mentor guided them in showcasing their technology more effectively, highlighting its value from both technical and business perspectives. Feedback from the mentor helped identify key performance indicators to focus on, ensuring their technology resonated with and attracted end-users.
Using marine biomass in hotel interiors reduces the material sent to landfill when renovating rooms.
The success of the first open call was built on a group of highly committed mentors. One of them, Joana Silvia, a microbiologist and biotechnologist, described the experience as deeply satisfying. Being a mentor has been quite rewarding and enriching, she says, since it is possible to anticipate some of the problems and challenges that the mentees face, saving time and increasing productivity. Topics like product development and certificates of analysis (CoA), cultivation procedures, quality control, and R&D are detailed, discussed and planned for the short and
long term.
With the completion of the first open call, AlgaeProBANOS has demonstrated the value of targeted mentorship in accelerating algae innovation and strengthening market readiness.
Building on these results, the project launched a second call, which has now closed, and a new cohort of start-ups and SMEs is entering the mentorship phase, further extending the initiative’s impact across Europe’s growing algae sector.
