MULTI-STR3AM

The 4-year MULTI-STR3AM project is driven by a critical need to shift to a sustainable means of producing food, feed and raw materials. Microalgae represent a promising solution to address the growing recognition that current agricultural and manufacturing practices are causing irreparable environmental damage. Microalgae, have a vast biosynthetic potential and are a rich source of lipids, protein and high-value compounds such as pigments. Despite these advantages, they are underexploited as a crop. This is due to barriers of scale, which mean that microalgae products struggle to achieve the same economies as conventional products, such as palm oil or soybean. MULTI-STR3AM addresses these challenges of scale of microalgae-based products by integrating sustainable multi-strain, multi-method and multi-product microalgae biorefinery in industrial side streams. This Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking project is designed to help close the gap between research and industrial scale on microalgae cultivation. The MULTI-STR3AM project is coordinated by A4F – Algae for Future (PT), and brings together the companies ForFarmers (NL), International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF, NL), Phycom (NL), UpField (NL), and the R&D institutions IMIC CAS - Centre Algatech (CZ), Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (iBET, PT), and Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia (LNEG, PT). By engaging global actors from the industrial, academic and non-profit sectors, MULTI-STR3AM creates a roadmap for economically viable industrial-scale microalgae cultivation, towards a sustainable future for European bio-based industries.