Constanta (Romania) – October 2025: On 30 October 2025, the EX-AQUA project successfully held the workshop “Advancing Algae Aquaculture: Innovative Pathways for the Black Sea Region” hosted at the National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa” (NIMRD) in Constanta, Romania. The event, organized by LOMARTOV S.L., gathered project partners, regional stakeholders, and European experts to explore how algae aquaculture can drive sustainable development in the Black Sea and beyond.

Strategically positioned within the broader framework of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, the workshop showcased ongoing innovations, presented the progress of the EX-AQUA project, and engaged stakeholders in co-developing future pathways for the region. It provided an essential platform to connect research, industry, and policy actors, ensuring that the Black Sea is well aligned with Europe’s algae-based bioeconomy ambitions and contributes to the European Green Deal objectives.

Participants included representatives from NIMRD, Ghent University, the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Lomartov SL (LOM), and the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI), alongside a wide range of regional stakeholders from academia, industry, and public institutions.

This event marks an important milestone in NIMRD’s journey toward excellence and the development of sustainable algae aquaculture for commercially relevant species such as Chlorella, Spirulina, Ulva, and Cystoseira.

Over the course of the full-day event, sessions combined presentations, interactive discussions, and laboratory visits. Key sessions addressed topics such as:

• Innovations in algae aquaculture, highlighting scalable cultivation systems, integrated aquaculture approaches, and nature-based restoration solutions;
• EX-AQUA’s roadmap and progress, showcasing milestones achieved along the Romanian coastline and technological developments in both macro- and microalgae cultivation;
• Applications of algae biomass, exploring opportunities across food, aquafeeds, pharmaceuticals and biofuels;
• Industry perspectives, providing practical insights into current challenges and opportunities for strengthening the competitiveness of the Black Sea algae sector.

The event concluded with a guided visit to NIMRD’s aquaculture demonstrative centre and algae laboratories, allowing participants to observe the latest advancements in algae cultivation technologies and infrastructure.

The workshop reaffirmed EX-AQUA’s commitment to enhancing innovation capacity, regional cooperation, and sustainable blue growth in the Black Sea, laying the groundwork for the next phase of collaborative actions and technological development.

Disclaimer

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.Grant Agreement No 101159509.

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