GRASS kick-off meeting
The project “Growing Algae Sustainably in the Baltic Sea” with the acronym GRASS is an Interreg BSR funded project from the 3rd call. GRASS aims to unlock the potential of macroalgae production and application in the Baltic Sea Region.
The kick-off meeting of the GRASS project took place on 04-05.02.2019 in Stockholm at the premises of the lead partner KTH, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. The project consortium consists of 10 project partners from six countries (Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Sweden) who jointly agreed on the first activities during the meeting. The project started officially on 01.01.2019, it encompasses 5 project periods, each 6 months and will end on 30.06.2021. The project deals with seaweed potential in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) and will deliver the following outputs:
- maps illustrating the suitable sites for seaweed cultivation,
- a tool for assessing the nutrient uptake capacity from the sea,
- a best practice guide on the licensing process for macroalgae production and use in the BSR
- a handbook that brings together all outputs, including training materials for public authorities.
The target groups of the outputs are regional and national public authorities such as environmental and planning agencies. Further groups are practitioners, research institutes and NGOs in the field of sustainable blue growth. The final outcome should raise awareness and capacity building among public authorities for a demand for macroalgae.