Circularis Biocluster

 
Fishing boat

The Circularis BioCluster is the clustering initiative of five European projects: VALORISH and its sister project, ONE EARTH (Project ID: 101135559, coordinated by the University of Bologna), PROMISEANG (Project ID: 101112378, coordinated by the University of Vigo), MARMADE (Project ID: 101213231, coordinated by the University of Camerino), and FOODIMAR (Project ID: SBEP2023-189, coordinated by: SUBMARINER Network For Blue Growth EEIG), funded by the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership.

The cluster brings together projects funded under different European research and innovation programmes, united by a shared objective of advancing circular bio-based solutions from aquatic and marine biomass.

  • HORIZON-CL6-2023-CircBio-02-3-two-stage – Non-plant biomass feedstock for industrial applications: technologies and processes to convert non-lignocellulosic biomass and waste into bio-based chemicals, materials and products, improving the cascading valorisation of biomass.
  • HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022-R-04 – Proteins from alternative and unconventional sources.
  • HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-05 – Innovative bio-based food/feed ingredients.
  • SBEP2023-189 - Blue bioresources and blue food

The Circularis BioCluster is a valuable vehicle that will maximise the reach of its projects by fostering technical collaboration and enhancing the communication strategies of its members during the length of each project. The areas of focus for this cluster are the topics covered by the projects, namely:

Recycling symbol representing circular valorisation of animal by-products

Circular valorisation of animal by-products for sustainable waste management.

Droplet symbolizing the production of high-value bioproducts

Production of high-value bioproducts with enhanced functionality.

Gear with connections representing the scaling up of biorefinery processes

Scaling up biorefinery processes for industrial implementation.

CPU chip representing computational modeling and process optimization

Advanced computational modeling for process optimization.

Bar chart illustrating economic, social, and environmental impact assessment

Comprehensive assessment of economic, social, and environmental impacts.

Shopping cart with a checkmark representing market adoption

Market adoption for nutraceuticals, cosmetics, fertilisers, and aquaculture feed products.

Activities

 
Hands holding interconnected gears against a sky background, symbolizing collaboration and teamwork.
Zoom

The Circularis BioCluster will undertake the following activities to foster collaboration and innovation:

  • Regular cluster meetings to coordinate initiatives and share insights.
  • Workshops and webinars to disseminate knowledge and best practices.
  • Collaborative scientific publications.
  • Joint participation in industry events to strengthen networking and outreach.
  • Collaboration on policy recommendations to influence sustainability strategies.
  • Technical collaboration on specific challenges and innovations.

Meet the Cluster Members

 
Foodimar

FOODIMAR

FOODIMAR is a three-year Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership. The vision of the FOODIMAR project is to revolutionise the fisheries and aquaculture industries by transforming side-stream biomass into high-value, sustainable products. By leveraging innovative technologies and sustainable practices, FOODIMAR aims to reduce waste, enhance resource efficiency, and contribute to a resilient and environmentally friendly food system. The project envisions a future where aquatic resources are utilised to their fullest potential, creating economic opportunities while addressing environmental challenges.

To know more about FOODIMAR, visit their website.

marmade

MARMADE

MARMADE aims to develop sustainable, high-value bio-based food and feed ingredients from marine biomass, focusing on underutilised crustacean residues (shrimp shells and blue crabs) and seaweed. The project seeks to establish efficient and scalable biorefinery processes to extract a wide range of functional ingredients and to develop innovative food and feed prototypes with enhanced nutritional, functional, and sensory properties. 
To know more about MARMADE, please visit this page.

Promiseang

PROMISEANG

The project’s objective is to develop novel alternative proteins from marine underexploited sources (marine invertebrate and macroalgae discards and industrial biowastes) through biomass fermentation (solid-state and submerge processes), generating new microbial protein biomass, meeting market requirements for food, feed, and non-food (biomedicine, pharma and cosmetic) bio-based applications. A technically and economically viable biorefinery for microbial-based protein production will be demonstrated during the project, enabling higher production yields, reduced production periods, minimized environmental impacts, diminish the imports, and reduced production costs for proteins.

To know more about PROMISEANG, please visit.

One Earth logo

ONE EARTH

The project aims to develop and evaluate innovative bio-based solutions for producing nutraceuticals, cosmetics, bio-adhesives, fertilizers, and aquaculture feed by leveraging residual animal biomass. ONE EARTH seeks to establish integrated circular value chains by valorising marine biomass for terrestrial applications and repurposing terrestrial biomass for aquaculture, fostering a sustainable and self-reinforcing carbon cycle.

To know more about ONE EARTH, please visit.