Researchers from Cuba, Italy and Spain came together at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) to review secondment activities and explore connections between Sargassum biomass processing, functional materials and technological development. An internal SARGEX meeting held on 7 July 2026 in Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, provided an opportunity for visiting researchers to present their work and discuss how it contributes to the project’s objectives. Organised by UAB, t

UAB researchers presented how advanced X-ray techniques could help reveal the composition of Sargassum biomass and guide its conversion into safe, valuable products. SARGEX research featured at the VII ALBA Users’ Meeting on 3 September 2026, where Mercè Llugany Ollé, from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), presented the poster “Multimodal Synchrotron Approaches for the Sustainable Valorisation of Sargassum Biomass”. Co-authored with Gustavo Pérez, also from UAB, th

Blue EcoTech has hosted its first SARGEX secondments, welcoming researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) for a programme combining coastal field visits, scientific exchange and meetings with Malta’s research and innovation community. Mercè Llugany and Laura Tusell, biologists and Associate Professors at UAB’s Faculty of Biosciences, joined Alexia Massa, CEO and Founder of Blue EcoTech Ltd., to strengthen their collaboration on marine biomass valorisation.

A meeting at the University of Antwerp explored potential research synergies for turning Sargassum biomass into useful resources, including possible food and aquafeed applications. On 8 May 2026, SARGEX researchers from the University of Antwerp and ICIMAR, Cuba, met with the university’s SUSTAIN lab to discuss opportunities for upcycling Sargassum through biobased engineering. Organised by the Cell Death Signalling and SUSTAIN laboratories, the brainstorming meeting brought

University of Antwerp researchers shared the potential of marine bioactives with industry, policymakers and the public at an event marking the commissioning of a new 300-litre algae bioreactor at ILVO. Marine organisms offer a rich source of compounds for research into nutrition and health. On 17 April 2026, an event at InnovOcean–ILVO in Ostend, Belgium, brought together researchers, businesses and policymakers to explore this potential and the technologies needed to take re

Researchers from Cuba and Belgium combined laboratory training and experimental work at the University of Antwerp to investigate Sargassum extracts and identify priorities for further testing. A SARGEX research exchange at the University of Antwerp brought together scientists from Cuba’s ICIMAR and the university’s Cell Death Signaling and Natura Products laboratories (NatuRA). Activities ran from 3 June to 26 August at Campus Drie Eiken, combining research coordination, prac

SARGEX (Sargassum Bioeconomy: From Coastal Biomass to Advanced Sustainable Materials), officially kicks off to address one of the increasing marine environmental challenges: the proliferation of this biomass along European coastlines and beyond.