Highlands and Islands Enterprise
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Growth sectors - life sciences

Biotechnology

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Biotechnology

Our region's unique landscape provides an abundance of natural resource from the sea and land, such as seaweed and timber. These can be used as feedstock for industrial biotechnology applications and create high value products for the food, pharmaceutical or packaging industries. By-products from aquaculture, forestry, brewing and distilling can be transformed into valuable products.

Our region is home to the Culture Collection of algae and protozoa (CCAP) which contains over 300 strains that are available for commercial applications and research. This is Europe's largest and most diverse collection for living strains from marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments.

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Growing the Scottish seaweed sector - producers and processors

Scotland is a coastal nation placed in the temperate zone where seaweed populations naturally flourish. The clean, nutrient-rich and sheltered sea lochs provide optimal conditions for wild harvesting seaweed from the shore or farming seaweed on rope structures.

The diversity and growth potential of the Scottish seaweed sector can be seen in our latest brochure featuring interviews from producers and processors across Scotland. 

Seaweed producers and processors in Scotland

Wild seaweed harvesting

The seaweed industry in Scotland is still in its infancy, but has the potential to thrive and develop to support a range of business that have identified uses for seaweed products.

Wild seaweed harvesting presents a unique opportunity for fishermen to diversity their work activities, relieving pressure from fish stocks and providing alternative seasonal income. Find out more in our report, produced in 2018.

Wild seaweed harvesting report 

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Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS)

Situated at the European Marine Science Park, SAMS is one of the UK's leading seaweed cultivation institutes. Home to Europe's largest and most diverse culture collections for algae and protozoa.

Visit SAMS website

Did you know..

In biotechnology across our region there is:

Published on 15/05/2024

2500

strains of algae and protozoa in Europe's largest culture collection

50

of the UK's seaweed cultivation farms

15000

km of coastline

24

marine biotechnology researchers at SAMS

Where to next?

Find out more about life sciences and its sub-sectors across the Highlands and Islands.

Life sciences

Supporting the growth of the Life Sciences sector in our region.

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