University of Gdańsk - a mentor for new blue biotechnology ideas

The third ALLIANCE (INTERREG BSR) Partner Meeting took place on 25–27 October 2016 in Helsinki. The project brings together blue biotechnology actors from across the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) to develop innovative marine biotechnology based products and services. The event was hosted by one of the ALLIANCE project partners - the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE).

The University of Gdańsk was represented by prof. Katarzyna Palińska and dr Ilona Złoch (Faculty of Oceanography and Geography) as well as by dr Anna Kaczorowska (Faculty of Biology).

The meeting included both an internal ALLIANCE project meeting and a matchmaking & pitching event open to external actors interested in cooperation within the project.

During the open session the ideas preselected during first ALLIANCE Call for Ideas were presented. The international evaluation panel including experts from the University of Gdansk decided that six of them were most suitable to become Alliance project partners. The University of Gdańsk has already been contributing as the first mentor of the case concerned with probiotic products for aquaculture of Baltic Probiotics (Latvia). Now UG has also become the second mentor of the case proposed by the University of Kiel (Germany) entitled “Age-related macular degeneration-specific fucoidan-based dietary supplements”.

Whilst six cases were evaluated as most suitable to become Alliance project partners, all presented cases can benefit from the project developing service and are being offered mentorship by the ALLIANCE partners.

Several speakers from the area of biotechnology and bioeconomy contributed to the event: Pierre Erwes (Chairman of BioMarine), Helena Vieira (Executive Director of the Portuguese BLUEBIO ALLIANCE) and Steinar Bersgeth (Project Coordinator of Marine Biotechnology ERA-NET and the Research Council of Norway).

Next call for ideas will start early next year! More information will be available soon at www.balticbluebioalliance.eu and the websites of the University of Gdańsk.

The ALLIANCE project, funded from the INTERREG BSR Programme, started in March 2016. The project will integrate partners from the Baltic Sea Region who are interested in blue biotechnology. At the University of Gdańsk the project is implemented by the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG & MUG, BRC Gdańsk and the Technology Transfer Office.

Project leader at UG:
prof. Katarzyna Palińska,
katarzyna.palinska@ug.edu.pl