Category: Blog

Call for Abstracts for the 2023 Algae Biomass Summit

The 2023 Algae Biomass Summit is now accepting speaker and poster abstracts for the world’s largest algae conference, to be held in Madison, Wisconsin, October 9-11, 2023.

Submit your abstract before April 17, 2023 to receive preferential scoring by the review committee, as well as student registration discounts!

The Summit is the leading conference that brings together the scientific community and commercial leaders that are advancing algae and seaweed as a solution to countless global challenges. Our in-person event this year will feature multiple keynote speakers, industry panel discussions, technical presentations, a poster session, exhibit hall and networking receptions.

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Submit an Abstract
The Summit is a place for collaboration in all aspects of the microalgae and seaweed industries. Topical tracks that will organize the agenda include:

Bioproducts
For innovations and research in algae and seaweed applications for food, animal and aquaculture feeds, bioplastics, biofuels, chemicals, coproducts, cosmetics, nutrition supplements, pharmaceuticals, soil health, agricultural products and more.

Cultivation and Harvesting
For innovations and research in fermentation, microalgae, seaweeds, bioreactor design and engineering, phototrophic and heterotrophic systems, harvesting and extraction systems, biorefinery systems, and more.

Meet The Industry
These sessions will showcase companies operating in, and adjacent to, the algae and seaweed industry, introducing new products and services to Summit attendees.

Environmental Services
For innovations and research on the topics of algae and seaweed in bioremediation, water treatment, nutrient recycling and management, life cycle and techno economic analysis, carbon capture, and more.

Strain Development
For innovations and research in strain isolation, development, and characterization of microalgae and seaweeds, as well as bioprospecting, improvements in growth and biomass productivity, algal biotechnology, and more.

Panel Proposals
In addition to individual abstracts, the Summit is also accepting panel proposals for up to 5 speakers to explore a topic of importance in microalgae or macroalgae commercialization or research. Once accepted, panel speakers will be asked to submit separate abstracts for their presentations. 

Submit an Abstract Or Panel Proposal

Poster Competition and Prizes

The Young Algae Researcher Award will recognize student scientists in the Summit poster sessions for their contributions to the fields of algae biology and engineering. Cash prizes of $250, $150 and $75 are awarded to the top three in each category.  To enter, select the “poster” category when submitting your abstract.

Travel Grants Available

The Algae Foundation is offering travel grants to attend the 2023 Summit. More information on the Mary Rosenthal Student Travel Grant can be found here. To enter, select your interest in the abstract submission form.

Student Discounts

The 2023 Summit welcomes student participation at all levels. The Summit will be offering special registration rates to student attendees, as well as discounts to students that submit abstracts before the priority deadline.

Networking Opportunities

This will be our first in-person Summit since the pandemic and we are excited to gather our community and welcome new faces. The program this year will feature some exciting networking opportunities:

  • Evening receptions will feature a hosted bar, appetizers and more.
  • An exhibit hall will offer the chance to meet the innovators, service providers, universities and federal agencies that are working together to accelerate success in algae and seaweed markets. 
  • Networking and mentoring opportunities at the Young Innovators Lounge will offer career advice and the opportunity to meet with industry leaders.
  • A VIP reception will feature industry speakers and the unveiling of the Algae Industry Awards in an exclusive setting. 
  • A mobile app will give attendees access to digital matching tools, instant outreach to other attendees, customized agendas and more.
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Algae Projects Win DOE Funding, Congress is Sending Millions More for R&D in 2023

Congratulations to the algae projects that were part of the Department of Energy’s recently announced financing for efforts to accelerate the production of sustainable biofuels. ABO members on the list include Global Algae Innovations and MicroBio Engineering Inc.

Read more about the awards here. 

More funding is on the way, and is set to be competitively distributed by federal agencies in the next fiscal year.  Late in 2022 Congress passed legislation appropriating funds to nearly every corner of the government, and they did not leave out programs that can advance algae & seaweed research and technology development. 

For the Department of Energy (DOE) alone, the Algae Biomass Organization advocated for millions in continued support. This kind of technology development includes new science, but also accelerates projects that can get algae & seaweed production to commercial operations.

The recent appropriations bill included for the DOE:

  • $40 million allocated to DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) for algae technology and commercialization R&D. There is also programmatic language directing DOE to address “research challenges to maximize use of atmospheric” CO2 in the context of eliminating the need to co-locate algal production facilities with power plants.
  • For DOE, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), $10M is appropriated for R&D of carbon utilization using algal systems. This is $2 million more than was dedicated in previous funding legislation. 

These are great results for continued research and commercialization efforts. With a coordinated effort we can make algae and seaweed a sought-after solution for markets that need sustainability, performance and cost improvements. 

ABO will continue our efforts to advocate in Congress and elsewhere for this kind of research. 

Need help learning about federal funding opportunities for algae and seaweed? Reach out to ABO! Our membership is a network of professionals with insight into upcoming opportunities, the application process, partnership coordination and more. 

ABO’s Year in Review: 2022

In 2022 the Algae Biomass Organization, just like the rest of the world, saw an evolution from the disruptions of the pandemic into a new era of adjustment and opportunity. It was inspiring to see our members keep the ball moving forward, and it was equally inspiring to be part of an organization committed to helping its members get through a global disruption and emerge in a position to keep up the pace of accomplishment.

Our organization’s achievements this past year include progress on policy, technology development, network building and commercialization:

  • First, ABO’s policy achievements continue to provide unparalleled support for algae innovators. ABO’s contacts with Congress allowed for the continuation of invaluable R&D support. This funding is already being allocated to public/private partnerships, academic consortia, and other commercialization efforts. It includes:
    • $40 million for DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) for algae technology and commercialization R&D, and
    • $8 million allocated to DOE’s Fossil Energy Office for algae R&D related to carbon capture and use.
    • Millions more are devoted from other agencies like U.S. Department of Agriculture the Department of Commerce, the. Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science Foundation.

  • In 2022 we also brought together leaders for workshops and webinars to plan for algae’s role in everything from food & feed, to carbon credits.
    • For example, our algae in aquafeed workshop brought together more than 60 people from all over the world. They heard presentations from industry leaders like Corbion, Global Algae Innovations, UC Santa Cruz, MicroBio Engineering, the University of Connecticut, and Algae4All.

  • ABO worked closely in 2022 with a broad coalition to make policy gains in the Inflation Reduction Act for algae-based fuels, especially sustainable aviation fuels. These fuels are an important pathway for algae commercialization, as the aviation industry is badly in need of decarbonization solutions, especially energy-dense fuels like those our industry can provide.

  • In 2022 we continued the tradition of gathering our industry at the Algae Biomass Summit. Once again, the event was virtual, and saw investors, researchers and business leaders join to discuss the latest achievements in all aspects of our industry, and to make plans for the future.

  • ABO also worked to provide new opportunities for a wider audience to engage with the algae and seaweed industries:
    • We opened an online auction that allowed the public to bid on a variety of algae-based and algae-inspired products.
    • We developed a new campaign called “Algae Everyday” that will be offering new avenues to inspire the use of algae and seaweed across multiple market sectors.
    • And we are in the process of opening an online store that will give ABO the ability to provide the public with more algae education, promotion, and other inspiration.

  • Finally, ABO worked on several expanded membership benefits in 2022, and we have big plans for more in 2023.
    • We welcomed members in our new membership categories: Bronze for algae startups that are innovating new technology or products. And two new University level categories to meet the needs of the academic community that is so critical to advancing this industry’s technology and workforce development.

  • These successes would not have been possible without the Algae Biomass Organization and its membership. All of us at ABO want to extend our thanks and congratulations to everyone that supported our efforts this year. We look forward to more success and cooperation in 2023.

Dispatch from the 2022 Algae Biomass Summit

Another successful virtual Algae Biomass Summit concluded last month, with hundreds of algae and seaweed professionals gathering from around the world to share insights and discover what’s next for the world’s most sustainable crops. 

We heard from leaders in algae and seaweed-based products, investors, and researchers leading the way in developing new methods for everything from algae cultivation to advanced downstream processing. We discussed the potential of algae in direct air capture for carbon mitigation, how investors are looking to support algae and seaweed startups, as well as government and academic accelerators for R&D. 

All Summit sessions were recorded, so if you were an attendee you can go back and view anything you missed. Simply log in to Whova, the event’s app, and navigate to the session you’d like to view. The recordings should be available for at least 60 days after the event. 

If you didn’t register for the Summit you can still view the proceedings. Simply reach out to ABO for information on how to register. 

Young Researcher Poster Winners

We also want to congratulate the winners of the 2022 Young Researcher Poster Competition. These young innovators brought to the Summit some of the most compelling and relevant research to our virtual poster display: 

1st place: Nádia Correia, PhD student at the Center of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) of University of Algarve and Allmicroalgae Natural Products S.A., Portugal

Title: High-value biomass composition from heterotrophic and autotrophic cultivation of novel Chlorococcum amblystomatis

2nd place: Inês Guerra, PhD student at the Center of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) of University of Algarve and Allmicroalgae Natural Products S.A., Portugal

Title: Optimization of an organic medium for industrial production of a protein-rich Arthrospira platensis

3rd place: Ugbad Farah, PhD student at Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego, USA

Title: The evolution of the adaptive landscape in Nannochloropsis sp.

In-Person for 2023? 

We are absolutely interested in planning an in-person Summit for 2023. The ABO is currently considering venues and schedules the 2023 Summit.  Watch for the announcements coming early next year!

Upgrades for ABO Members

In the coming months we have some exciting plans to upgrade the ABO member experience. These include a new web design, new membership login experience, and new members-only content.

So be sure to renew your membership before we close out the year, join an ABO committee, and get involved! Everything we learned at the Summit shows this industry can accomplish when we stick together. 

Thank you, and see you at the next Algae Biomass Summit!

An Algae Holiday Auction

Just in time for the holidays the Algae Biomass Organization is running an online auction of algae-related items that are sure to please anybody on your gift list.

ABO is conducting this online auction as part of its fall member drive, but anyone is welcome to bid. All funds will be used to support ABO operations and our mission to advance algae and seaweed as a global sustainability solution.

The auction is open now on BetterWorld, and all items have been donated by ABO members.

Bidding will be open for the next three weeks, but you’ll want to check out what is available now!

Check out the Auction Now