Federal support for advanced algae R&D is on a solid foundation for 2021 with the recent passage of an omnibus appropriations bill that was included in last year’s COVID-19 relief legislation. These funds extend a long-standing tradition of supporting advanced algae technology development at the federal level, and were approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s included in the legislation:
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will direct $40 million to funding opportunities that target advanced algae systems, the same level of support allocated in 2020. $10 million of those funds will be provided for R&D to support atmospheric carbon capture.
At the DOE’s Fossil Energy Office, the Carbon Use and Reuse program will get $23 million, a $2 million increase over last year. $8 million of these funds are allocated for competitive solicitations on carbon dioxide absorption with algae systems that can capture and reuse the gas to produce useful biofuels and chemicals.
Finally, the legislation encourages the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support research on algae and algae applications in agriculture, including new commercial markets for renewable and sustainable products derived from algae. This is the first time algae has been prioritized at NIFA in this manner.
These funding allocations are typically distributed in a competitive process managed by federal agencies. If you are interested in exploring how your project might qualify, ABO encourages you to reach out to the appropriate federal contacts. ABO is also happy to provide assistance. Contact us here.
ABO is grateful for this continued support from Congress, and will continue to work closely with elected officials to show how algae research is making important contributions to the United States’ technological and economic leadership.
The funding opportunities that come from these allocations could also be augmented by the priorities of the incoming Biden Administration. ABO is working with supporters in Congress and the White House to ensure that the algae industry continues to be part of the solution to in climate, energy, water, food security, economic development and other areas.
From the Scottish Association of Marine Science, The Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa invite applications to their online 2.5 day course on Algaculture.
This course is open to students, technicians, early career researchers, industry professionals and algae enthusiasts.
Short lectures from SAMS experts will cover:
Taxonomy
Nutrition
Photosynthesis
Legal Issues
Algae in Biotechnology: Opportunities and Challenges
Algal Sequencing and Bioinformatics
Large scale microalgal culture
Macroalgal Culture
Practical demonstrations by technical experts will include:
Media prep
Subculturing
Enumeration
Cryopreservation
Strain Isolation
Macroalgal Scale-up
The year 2020 will go down in history as one of historic turbulence. We share in the heartbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges for businesses large and small. Through it all, however, the community of the Algae Biomass Organization did find ways to keep up the momentum in scientific advances, commercial milestones, and important policy support for algae.
Take a look at what we’ve accomplished in the past 12 months.
We welcomed a new executive director:
Dr. Rebecca White, ABO Executive Director
ABO welcomed industry veteran Dr. Rebecca White as our new executive director. A leader in both science and commercialization, Rebecca comes as a new wave of algae awareness and investment is putting this industry at an inflection point.
We are seeing major advances and record funding in algae research, new commercial production facilities coming online, and innovative algae products are making waves in a range of new markets. Major media outlets like CNN, New York Times, CNBC, and Forbes are taking notice, all highlighting the exciting products and research from an industry turning algae into global game changer.
We achieved unprecedented policy support:
Our remarkable technological and commercial progress has helped build support for algae across the country. ABO is grateful for the strong bipartisan support we see in Congress, the dedicated staff at agencies such as the DOE and USDA, well as our members that are committed to working together as we build this industry.
Our collective effort has resulted in record-breaking policy support, including:
$70 million for algae industry research, development, and demonstration in 2020 Congressional appropriations for DOE’s Bioenergy Technology Office, Office of Fossil Energy, and Office of Science.
$110 million has been proposed in the US House of Representatives for algae industry research, development, and demonstration for 2021.
Our members’ key roles in the pre-publication review of the Biomass Research and Development (BR&D) Board’s landmark Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy: Algae, which summarizes the bioeconomy initiative activities for the algae stakeholder community.
We proposed an Algae Center of Excellence to strengthen research and commercialization efforts:
New products from algae and new technologies will not succeed without improved coordination among industry, academia and government. To that end, ABO furthered our work on our Algae for Food and Feed Initiative by putting together a proposal for the Algae Center of Excellence (ACE).
The mission of the ACE is to support the development, scale up and commercialization of innovative, sustainable and eco-restorative solutions for the production of food, feed, and bioproducts from algae. Fundraising is underway to establish the ACE with a goal to launch in 2021.
We launched the Macroalgae Working Group:
ABO is committed to advancing a spectrum of algae-based biotechnologies: microalgae, seaweeds and cyanobacteria. This year we began coordinating with leaders in the seaweed and kelp sectors on creating industry standards and trade practices that maximize sustainability as well as economic impacts.
Over 70 participants from around the globe formed our Macroalgae Working Group, including representatives from companies, universities, existing collaborative efforts, government agencies and NGOs. This is going to be an exciting area of work for 2021!
We made the Algae Biomass Summit a virtual experience, and brought together a global community like never before:
We transitioned our annual Algae Biomass Summit to a fully online event in 2020 due to COVID19. Along the way, we discovered the virtual format allowed for exciting collaborations with an even larger audience than last year.
Elected officials, sustainability advocates, CEOs, business development executives, scientific leaders, students and government agency staff from more than 30 countries all gathered over the course of several weeks to share the latest developments and plan for the future.
We expanded our partnership with the European Algae Biomass Association (EABA):
Global coordination will be a larger priority for this industry. In that light, ABO and EABA agreed to renew their partnership that extends the member benefits of each organization. As the leading algae trade associations for the US and Europe, ABO and EABA will be recognized as a Supporting Organization for each other. The two organizations have also agreed to collaborate to further develop the algae industry and associated technologies in the U.S., Europe, and globally through events, conferences, policy advocacy, and other efforts.
Most importantly, members of each organization can register for the other’s events, conferences and meetings at the member-only rates.
We are ready for 2021:
Despite a world unsettled by the events of 2020, ABO is well-positioned to expand the algae opportunity.
We invite your involvement. Like any trade association, this important work is supported by member dues, so please be sure to renew for 2021 if you are already an ABO member.
If you are not a member, please reach out today and we will welcome you into our community. We see exciting developments on the horizon.
Congratulations to Devinn Lambert at the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) for being named in the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 list! Devinn’s work as a technology manager at BETO is well-known to ABO members that are coordinating with DOE on projects to advance algae technology.
BETO’s grants are primarily focused on bioenergy applications such as fuels, but the technologies that the group is helping to advance will also find applications in countless other markets, allowing algae to make a sustainability impact in almost every corner of our lives. We are grateful for Devinn’s work and all those at the Department of Energy that are committed to advanced technology development.
Devinn’s contributions have recently helped build more than a few new connections in the algae community. She was a moderator at the 2020 Algae Biomass Summit, and also participated in the event’s Young Innovators Lounge, a special session that brings together early-career scientists and industry leaders for mentoring and dialogue.
In January 2021 the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (FE) is expected to announce a new funding opportunity for projects focusing on the development of algae-based technology that utilizes carbon dioxide from power systems or other industrial sources as a feedstock.
The DOE’s announcement notes that “Research should focus on the development and engineering-scale testing of algae-based, biomediated uptake pathways to transform carbon dioxide into advanced products.”
Projects working with macroalgae, eukaryotic microalgae, and cyanobacteria will all qualify to apply.
The opportunity is a result of appropriations made by Congress for algae R&D in previous spending legislation that was supported by ABO.
ABO members that would like to learn more about this and other federal funding opportunities can also get in touch with ABO’s Executive Director, Dr. Rebecca White. Rebecca works closely with ABO’s Executive Policy Council, a group of members that guides all of ABO’s work with federal and state governments working to advance algae technology and markets.
New products from algae and new technologies will not succeed without improved coordination among industry, academia and government. To that end, ABO furthered our work on our 
We transitioned our 
