Public Funding for Seaweed Generation Ltd

UK aquaculture SME Seaweed Generation's (SeaGen) focus is on creating technology and infrastructure that can unlock the potential of seaweed in the global battle against climate change. Our belief is that automation, robotics, data and a innovation can hold the key to a scalable and sustainable future for seaweed aquaculture and for the planet. UK horticultural SME, Microgrow Systems (Microgrow), are industry leaders in high quality LED lighting systems that have the potential to save energy while optimising plant growth and health. This project is a partnership between Seaweed Generation and Microgrow to establish feasibility for the UK's first commercial seeding system for Dulse, a highly desirable red seaweed that could become a viable plant based protein alternative both in the UK and globally in the next five years. Climate change presents a global crisis that impacts people, environments and economies worldwide, with more severe impacts for those who have the least resources to combat them. To halt warming, we will need to reduce emissions by 75% and massively increase biodiversity across the planet. For our food chain this means eliminating emissions wherever possible, and finding sustainable sources of protein for food and animal feed without water and land needs. We will need to rehabilitate our soils, bio-diversify much of our agricultural land, and continue to offer appropriate nutrition to the world's population. Seaweed offers us an opportunity to grow high protein, nutrient dense biomass in the UK, without the need to commit more land to crop production. This feasibility study will allow full assessment of seeding techniques and practices for Dulse - a particularly tasty (umami) and protein-rich red seaweed that has proved challenging to grow. SeaGen and Microgrow will develop an automated seeding system that can reliably produce Dulse spores for large scale cultivation practices. The industry currently relies largely upon wild harvesting which is unpredictable and potentially unsustainable. This project aims to create a system for reliable seeding stock, allowing the seaweed food industry to develop in the UK, ultimately becoming a viable and cost effective plant based protein source.

Climate change presents a global crisis that impacts people, environments and economies worldwide, with more severe impacts for those who have the least resources to combat them. It is unarguably an existential threat to humanity. To halt warming, we will need to reduce emissions by 75% and massively increase biodiversity across the planet. For our food chain, this means eliminating emissions wherever possible and finding sustainable sources of protein for human and animal feed without water and land needs. We will need to rehabilitate our soils, bio-diversify much of our agricultural land, and continue to offer appropriate nutrition to the world's population. Seaweed offers us an opportunity to grow nutrient-dense biomass in the UK without the need to commit more land to crop production. Seaweed farms also have the potential to be co-located alongside offshore wind farms, with benefits to both industries. The proposed project is focused on creating technology and infrastructure that can unlock the potential of seaweed in the global battle against climate change. This project aims to establish the UK's first commercial cultivation system for dulse, a highly desirable red seaweed that could become a viable low-emission home-grown protein alternative to replace soyabean meal in chicken feed in UK. Dulse is a particularly desirable protein rich red seaweed with many growth-promoting effects that has so far proved challenging to grow. This feasibility study will allow a full assessment of the cultivation inputs required (and corresponding emissions) for pure tank based vs. at-sea cultivation. The project will enable us to establish the most biologically and commercially viable route to successful cultivation of dulse. The biochemical analysis of the pure tank based vs. at-sea cultivated seaweed will allow us to select the most nutritious and protein-rich species of dulse. The efficacy and potential of dulse produced and selected will be tested in poultry feed trials (in vivo) to explore the seaweed soyabean meal replacement potential. As dulse has great potential to improve gut health, arising from its immune-modulating functions, as a consequence, its impact on the gut microbiome could contribute to the use of seaweed to reduce reliance on antibiotics. The impact of dulse on the gut microbiome will be further explored by studying its impact on gut microbial diversity, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens.

UK aquaculture SME SeaGen has a core project team of Patricia Estridge (entrepreneur/CEO/software-engineer), Paul Gray (marine-engineer/senior-mechanical-engineer), Duncan Smallman (PhD/marine-biology/cultivation), Dan Schaub (software-engineer) and Mike Allen (professor/algal-biotech). UK animal feed SME, Abrimar, is led by Matt Palmer (animal-nutritionist/PhD) with Virgillo Ambriz-Vilchis (veterinary-surgeon/ruminant-nutritionist/PhD). Climate change presents a global crisis that impacts people, environments and economies worldwide, with more severe impacts for those who have the least resources to combat them. To halt warming, we will need to reduce emissions by 75% and massively increase biodiversity across the planet. For our food chain this means eliminating emissions wherever possible, and finding sustainable sources of protein for human and animal feed without water and land needs. We will need to rehabilitate our soils, bio-diversify much of our agricultural land, and continue to offer appropriate nutrition to the world's population. SeaGen is developing an automated macroalgal protein cultivation system using seaweed to produce high protein poultry feed in partnership with Abrimar. This system is cost-effective, requires no land and needs almost no energy input or infrastructure. Machine Learning will ensure optimised growing conditions for the seaweed, leading to a high yield of biomass and maximise effectiveness for crop yield. Seaweed offers us an opportunity to grow high protein biomass in the UK, without the need to commit more land to crop production. This feasibility study will allow full assessment of possible cost reductions in high protein seaweed cultivation, and allow us to assess its potential for a source of high protein animal feed. While this project will have global benefit, it can also specifically bring jobs and income to coastal communities, which have heightened risks from climate change. SeaGen's technology will be the first to use next-gen technology to reduce costs and boost productivity.

Seaweed Generation are developing a remotely operated automated underwater vehicle that is able to carry out biodiversity monitoring using hyperspectral cameras and passive acoustic recording. Machine learning will be used to develop methods for animal recognition and species identification. Our AUV glider (based on a previously developed design) is powered by electric thrusters giving it the ability to follow detailed "flight" plans. A solar PV docking station provides a charging point for the glider as well as a point for transmitting the collected data. As a novel design to monitor and observe potential impacts to biodiversity on seaweed farms and off-shore windfarms, this project will focus on the creation of the remotely operated observation array, processing of data using machine learning to 'match' against recorded species, and the capacity of our glider to 'untether' and return to its docking / charging station. We will be running the data collected by the observation array through machine learning software and open source datasets to make species identification and quantification easier and faster. Our project aims to make long term marine biodiversity monitoring more accessible and cost effective in the challenging remote coastal and off-shore environment.