A new national network involving UCL, the UK Seaweed Network, has been launched at an event in the UK Parliament, bringing together researchers, industry, policymakers and coastal stakeholders to accelerate the growth of the UK’s seaweed sector.
Developed through a collaboration between UCL, Seaweed Scotland, UK Agri-Tech Centre, WWF-UK, and the Fishmongers’ Company, the network represents the first coordinated effort to connect regional expertise and strengthen the UK’s position in a global market.
Seaweed presents a major opportunity for the UK, with the potential to contribute to net zero targets, marine ecosystem restoration, sustainable food and materials systems, and resilient coastal economies.
While the UK has more than 7,000 miles of coastline and strong research and innovation capability, the seaweed sector has faced challenges including fragmented activity across devolved nations, regulatory complexity, limited market development, and insufficient coordination between stakeholders and government agencies.
The UK Seaweed Network has been established to address these challenges by improving coordination between the four nations, strengthening collaboration across the whole seaweed sector, from farming to final product, supporting research, development and scale-up, and providing a clear, evidence-led voice to inform policy and regulation.
UCL’s contributions are under the leadership of Dr Emily Kostas (UCL Biochemical Engineering), with support from the Policy Impact Unit at UCL Engineering and funding from UCL Innovation & Enterprise.
UCL Network lead Dr Kostas said: "Seaweed has the potential to play a transformative role in the UK’s bioeconomy, but realising that potential requires coordination, clarity and collaboration. UK Seaweed creates a national platform to align expertise, support innovation, and ensure that science, policy and industry move forward together."
Jen Reed, Head of the Policy Impact Unit at UCL, said: "Seaweed has a role to play in addressing some of the biggest policy challenges faced in the UK today, from how we can deliver on environmental targets, to achieving greater resource security. Having a unified national voice for UK seaweed making the case on these issues, sharing targeted insights, evidence and experiences, will help shift the dial on how seaweed is viewed and considered when these policy decisions are made. We are delighted to be a part of realising that ambition and look forward to seeing the network flourish."
The UK Seaweed Network will connect farmers, processors, researchers, innovators, investors, and policymakers, helping to translate research into real-world impact and enabling the development of sustainable markets for seaweed-based products across food, materials, agriculture, health, and energy.
Seaweed offers powerful environmental benefits alongside its economic potential. It can replace fossil-fuel-derived materials in products such as packaging, fuels and fertilisers, while supporting marine biodiversity, improving water quality and helping to reduce coastal erosion and nutrient pollution when farmed in the right locations.
The network will also work across the UK’s devolved administrations to ensure regional strengths are recognised and supported, while building a coherent national approach to regulation, infrastructure investment and skills development.
With global demand for seaweed-based products continuing to grow, the launch of the UK Seaweed Network marks a significant step towards positioning the UK as a leader in sustainable seaweed production and innovation.
- University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT (0) 20 7679 2000
Mark Greaves
m.greaves [at] ucl.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 3108 9485
