The Blue Bioeconomy is the '(commercial) use and conversion of living aquatic resources (such as algae, mussels or jellyfish) into a wide variety of products and services such as food, feed, biobased materials and bioenergy. It is still a relatively young concept, but it is driven by increasing interest, knowledge and technical developments. Often, initiatives and companies are still at the R&D or start-up stage.

Products from the Blue Bioeconomy include novel foods and food additives, animal feeds, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, materials as well as energy. Businesses that grow the raw materials for these products, that extract, refine, process and transform the biological compounds, as well as those developing the required technologies and equipment all form part of the blue bioeconomy. Services from the Blue Bioeconomy can include the closing of the nutrient loop from agriculture, aquaculture and other sectors, and it also has the potential to create many  employment opportunities and a generally healthier and more prosperous society.

The SUBMARINER Network has promoted these topics from its inception and does not only work with Blue Bioeconomy topics, but also specifically with tools, including Maritime Spatial Planning, Multi-Use and Smart Specialisation.

Source: European network ERA-NET BlueBio COFUND and Bioökonomie.de