The European Union wants to accelerate the transition of the bioeconomy from research to industrial scale, with a growing focus on the blue bioeconomy and the strategic role of the ocean. The objective was reinforced by the European Council, in alignment with the new strategy of the European Commission for the sector.

At stake is a shift in phase: moving beyond laboratory-based development to ensure real market application, with tangible economic and industrial impact. This includes new applications based on marine resources, such as algae and other ocean organisms.

The bioeconomy – which uses renewable biological resources to produce food, energy and materials – is expected to play a central role in Europe’s strategic autonomy, helping reduce dependence on fossil fuels and strengthening sustainable value chains.

According to the European Commission, the sector already employs around 17.1 million people across the EU and generates an estimated €2.7 trillion in economic value, representing approximately one in every twelve jobs in the bloc.

The focus now is on scale. “The challenge is to expand existing solutions to levels that can transform markets,” said Maria Panayiotou, representing Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council, cited by the Portuguese newspaper PT Green.

To achieve this, Brussels is advocating a combination of regulatory simplification, faster approval processes and stronger mobilisation of private investment, with a focus on identifying sectors with high potential to lead this transition.

Blue bioeconomy and marine resources gain priority

Among those sectors, the blue bioeconomy is gaining increasing relevance. The European Council suggests expanding the strategy to areas such as textiles, paper and marine-based bioproducts, including applications derived from algae and other ocean organisms.

This shift reflects a growing recognition of the ocean’s role in the next phase of Europe’s bioeconomy, both in terms of resource diversity and its potential across sectors such as food, materials and climate solutions.

Linking science, industry and investment will be decisive

This direction aligns with global trends. According to the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, the ocean economy could grow from $2.6 trillion in 2020 to $5.1 trillion by 2050.

Despite this potential, the same report highlights a persistent misalignment between the sector’s value and available investment, with the ocean capturing only a small share of global capital flows, particularly in sustainability-related areas.

Much of the challenge lies in the transition from research to market. The ability to connect science, industry and investment is increasingly seen as a critical condition for scaling the blue bioeconomy.

In Portugal, organisations such as B2E – Blue Bioeconomy CoLAB have been working at this interface, promoting the valorisation of marine resources and their application across sectors such as food, biotechnology and advanced materials.

In a context of growing global competition, the capacity to structure ecosystems that translate knowledge into economic application may ultimately determine the pace and scale of the bioeconomy in the decades ahead.