BLUEGent

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭” 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭!

BLUEGent is very active in anything blue, from aquaculture to biotechnology. We have a strong link with Ostend (think Bluebridge, Ostend Science Park, Marifish.Inc), but let’s not forget that our roots are in Ghent!

We’re very proud of our hometown that has grown to become Flanders’ technology capital. It is the birthplace of the research center iMinds, as well as several leading start-ups such as Netlog, In The Pocket, Realo and Showpad. According to Dealroom.co, Ghent-based start-ups have already raised € 108 million across 17 funding rounds since January 1st, 2024, which accounts for 55% of the total € 197 million in capital raised in Flanders.

In addition to capital, Ghent-based start-ups also attract new talent, which in turn leads to support services and entrepreneurs finding each other in close networks. All these effects reinforce each other, which is characteristic of the Ghent ecosystem.

With the Wintercircus, Ghent's city administration is also showing that it has embraced its digital community. The city gave the iconic building on a long lease to TENT, a consortium of Ghent tech entrepreneurs.

Are you interested in knowing more about Ghent’s position as leading tech hub in Flanders, read the following article (in Dutch): https://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/waw/van-iminds-en-netlog-tot-henchman-zo-knokte-gent-zich-tot-leidende-techhub/10550166.html (De Tijd).

Tomorrow is , what better occasion to share news about one of the groundbreaking projects in which Universiteit Gent is a partner!

ULTFARMS is a Horizon Europe project that has taken innovative strides in advancing multi-use practices in six real-world pilots. It specifically focuses on sustainable aquaculture and renewable energy solutions.

In the Belgian pilot, located in the wind farm Belwind, a major milestone was achieved recently: Bonamia-free oysters were successfully acquired for the restoration phase of the pilot’s program. This includes both adult broodstock oysters, as well as spat on shell, ensuring a strong foundation for restoration.
In the past few days, during the Belgica campaign, these healthy oysters were deployed into designated restoration sites. The aim is to enhance the oyster population and improve the overall health of the marine ecosystem.

More info via https://ultfarms.eu/belwind-belgian-pilot-update-may-2024/.

Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen UGent

“MultiUseAtSea

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐚

In both Belgium and the Netherlands, companies and research institutions are working to enhance biodiversity in the North Sea by restoring oyster beds on the sea floor. These beds had disappeared over the years, partly due to the use of trawl nets in fishing.

In the Netherlands, the first project to reintroduce oyster beds is now underway at the Borssele wind farm off the coast of Vlissingen. Similarly, plans to establish oyster beds in the Belgian North Sea are being considered, though they are not expected to be implemented in the immediate future. Meanwhile, in Blankenberge, another experiment is in progress, where a new 600-meter harbor dam is being constructed to prevent harbor channel silting.

If you are interested in knowing more about the efforts of DEME Group, Universiteit Gent, Jan De Nul Group (Official), Van Oord, Ørsted and Go Ocean, read the article in De Tijd (in Dutch): https://www.tijd.be/ondernemen/milieu-energie/oesterbanken-op-komst-in-de-noordzee/10548829.html

Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen UGent

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞: 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞

Earlier this week Dieter Honoré presented his debut novel “Brine”, which focuses on the life of em. Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos. Patrick is the former director of Universiteit Gent's Lab of Aquaculture & ARC, who made it his life’s mission to eliminate hunger from the world. He found the key to accomplish this impossible task in the most unlikely niche, the brine shrimp (Artemia).

The book is now available in stores. More information via https://www.borgerhoff-lamberigts.be/shop/boeken/brine.

Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen UGent

𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦

"Living by the sea is healthier" is an often-heard statement. People who live by the sea are said to be healthier, live longer, and also claim to feel healthier. The psycho-social aspect also comes into play: those who live by the sea get outside more often and therefore exercise more.

Scientists have long suspected that the sea also has an immunological effect, making us more resistant to possible diseases. Researchers from VLIZ, Universiteit Gent and UAntwerpen have now proven this effect for the first time based on lab tests with aerosols from the splashing of seawater. These aerosols contain certain bacteria that train and maintain our immune system and thus make it stronger.

Are you interested in knowing more about this research? Read the article (in Dutch) via https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/05/10/leven-aan-zee-is-gezonder-nieuw-onderzoek-bacterien-in-de-zeeluc/ or watch the interview in De Tafel Van Gert (also in Dutch, from 17:12 onwards) via https://www.goplay.be/video/de-tafel-van-gert/de-tafel-van-gert-s4/de-tafel-van-gert-s4-aflevering-54.

Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen UGent

𝐆𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 15 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

Dealroom.co’s 2023 European Deep Tech Report puts Universiteit Gent in the top 15 of European universities which created the most Deep Tech spinout value. This is a great reward for our university’s efforts in bringing new science and technology to the market through its IRF consortia, UGent TechTransfer, and its science parks: Ostend Science Park and Tech Lane Ghent Science Park.

Ostend Science Park is one of a kind in Belgium, focusing entirely on boosting marine and maritime business and science and supporting the blue economy. Through its headquarters Bluebridge, it facilitates open innovation by connecting startups, corporates, knowledge institutions, public partners and civil society.

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐝

Recent crises have increased the demand for healthy, sustainable and locally produced food. As a low-trophic organism with many health benefits, seaweed checks all those boxes. Demand for seaweed in Europe is strongly increasing, but regional production lags behind.

SEATAMIN aims to tackle this issue by producing high-quality seaweed year-round in a land-based, recirculating aquaculture system. Last Wednesday we got to opportunity to visit the project setup in Ostend, where Floriele Gonzaga and Tom Baelemans presented their work in scaling up the production of 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘢.

The SEATAMIN project runs from October 2022 to April 2024 and was funded by Ghent University’s Industrial Research Fund. It is a collaboration between four Ghent University Groups: the Phycology Lab, the Lab of Aquaculture & ARC, the Food Microbiology & Food Preservation lab, and BLUEGent.

Universiteit Gent
Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen UGent

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

On February 2, 2024, the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) launched its second joint transnational call. With a grant budget totaling about 40 million euros, SBEP provides support to ambitious, transnational research and development projects on marine and maritime technologies and blue growth.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞:
1️⃣ Digital Twins of the Ocean at regional sub basin scale
2️⃣ Blue economy sectors, development of marine multi-use infrastructures
3️⃣ Planning and managing sea-uses at the regional level
4️⃣ Blue Bioresources

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
👉 Project proposals need to impact at least two different European sea basins (North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea).
👉 Consortia should include at least three partners from three different participating countries.
👉 Partners are required to contact their local grant agency before submitting.
👉 The evaluation consists of two steps: 1) submission of a pre-proposal (deadline: April 10, 2024, 3 PM CET), 2) submission of a full proposal (deadline: November 6, 2024, 3 PM CET).

38 funding organizations from 26 countries are participating in this call. For Belgium, it concerns the grant programs of VLAIO, BELSPO, FWO and FNRS.

More information via https://bluepartnership.eu/funding-opportunity/sustainable-blue-economy-partnerships-second-joint-transnational-call and https://www.vlaio.be/nl/nieuws/tweede-internationale-oproep-2024-voor-innovatieprojecten-sbep-sustainable-blue-economy-partnership (in Dutch)

A manual for applying:https://bluepartnership.eu/sites/bluepartnership.eu/files/documents/2024-02/Call%20text%20-%20Sustainable%20Blue%20Economy%20Partnership.pdf

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 2024

On March 7, 2024, BlueInvest Day 2024 will take place. The event aims to catalyze investment and innovation initiatives within the blue economy, promoting sustainability and transformative impact across industries. It will focus on both successful and high-potential investment initiatives, emphasizing their impact on sustainability and their transformative potential.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭?
🌊 Networking opportunities: connect with peers, forge partnerships and discover high-potential investment opportunities
🌊 Showcasing success stories: connect and gain insights from successful blue economy partnerships
🌊 BlueInvest Investor Report: get first access to the latest report, providing a roadmap for strategic investment in the blue economy, and stay informed about key trends and emerging opportunities
🌊 Pitch your innovation and win a BlueInvest Award: open for startups, SMEs or project with innovative solutions, looking for investments

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬
📅 Thursday, March 7, 2024
🕧 09:00 AM – 05:15 PM (cocktail reception from 05:15 PM onwards)
📍 KBR – Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels

More information and registration via https://blueinvest-community.converve.io/register_now.html

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

On Thursday, February 29, 2024 Blue Cluster vzw is organizing its Blue Bioeconomy Session in Ostend. This event is a unique opportunity to discover the diversity of the blue bioeconomy sector in Flanders, including aquaculture, sustainable fisheries and marine biotechnology.

Joining the event will give you the opportunity to:
🌊 Discover interesting projects in the blue bioeconomy
🌊 Develop a better understanding of the funding possibilities
🌊 Draw inspiration from pitches and empowerment tools for innovative startups
🌊 Gain insight in different sectors inside and outside the blue bioeconomy
🌊 Connect with relevant stakeholders

The event will be held at MariFish.Inc, the brand-new, all-in-one incubator, accelerator and innovation community located at the Flemish Fish Auction site in Ostend (https://marifishinc.be/).

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬
📅 Thursday, February 29, 2024
🕧 From 12:30 PM onwards
📍 Kaai 800, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende

Participation is free, but registration is mandatory: https://www.bluecluster.be/calendar/delve-into-the-blue-bio.

𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

Launching in 2024, Flanders’ GAME project aims to develop 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘳𝘢 seaweed strains for biopesticides and biostimulants, boosting sustainable use.

GAME is short for “Genetic Approaches and Cultivation Protocols to Unravel Metabolite Production of 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘳𝘢 spp.”. The goal of this strategic research project is to:
🌊 Select genetically adapted 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘳𝘢 strains
🌊 Develop tailor-made cultivation protocols for these strains
🌊 Develop green extraction methodologies for high-value applications including biostimulants and biopesticides

GAME will start in 2024 and conclude in 2029. The project is the result of a robust collaboration between Universiteit Gent (Phycology Research Group – Prof. Olivier De Clerck; Blue Growth Research Lab – Prof. Jana Asselman; the Laboratory for Applied Mycology and Phenomics – Prof. Kris Audenaert) and NIOZ – Dr. ir. Dorien Derksen, with support from Spearhead Clusters De Blauwe Cluster and Catalisti. The GAME project is funded by VLAIO. The proposal was coordinated by the Ghent University Business Development Centers CropFit and BLUEGent.

For more information on the project, visit https://bluegent.ugent.be/unleashing-potential-seaweed-cultivation-flanders-game-project-takes-center-stage.

Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen UGent