In Glommen, the coastal community meets the blue innovations of the future

In Glommen, the sea is never far away, and the harbor is a bustling hub where fishing boats, businesses, and people who work along the coast every day come together. At the same time, discussions are underway about AI, circular material flows, and how seaweed can become part of future solutions in everything from agriculture to building materials.

When Falkenberg Municipality’s Business Development Unit recently hosted a meeting and workshop at Blue Hub Halland, businesses, researchers, and public sector representatives gathered to discuss the development of the blue economy of the future—and how new partnerships might take shape along the west coast.

“What a fantastic, productive, and innovative day we had,” wrote Elin Rehn, business development officer for the Municipality of Falkenberg, in her summary to the participants following the meeting.

The day focused on the potential of seaweed as a material and resource of the future. Throughout the day, ideas were presented regarding biodegradable mulch, circular biofertilizer, and new applications in the textile and construction industries. Discussions also covered waste streams, logistics, public procurement, and how AI could be used to assess the quality of seaweed.

In its summary of the workshop, the Business Development Unit also emphasized the importance of continued collaboration between various stakeholders and geographic clusters along the coast, as well as the need to match ideas with test beds and continue the dialogue on public procurement as a lever for development.

“It is now everyone’s responsibility to carry on with the processes that have been established and to nurture the new collegial bonds that have been formed,” Elin urged the participants at the end of the day.

A recurring theme during the meeting was precisely the need for more settings where different skills and perspectives can come together.

“Transformative leaps occur when stakeholders work together across sectoral boundaries rather than in their isolated ‘silos,’” says David Andersson, business development officer at the Municipality of Falkenberg.

The goal of Blue Hub Halland is to create a neutral forum where businesses, academia, the public sector, and the local community can come together near the operations and environments where development actually takes place.
For Kristin Johansson from Innovatum Science Park, the visit also served as a reminder of how important it is to visit the sites and companies you work with.

– I’m impressed every time I realize what an incredible raw material seaweed is, with so many uses. And it’s so beneficial to get out and visit the places and companies we’re talking to. It offers so much more than remote meetings; it’s also fun to see the mix of small entrepreneurs and major players.

At the same time, the day also raised broader questions about development and transition in coastal communities.

It can be a challenge when the new and the old must develop together. How do you create development and new businesses without it coming at the expense of the authentic elements that already exist? This is so evident in Glommen, where traditional fishing and new blue economy industries must coexist in the same place. It is precisely these kinds of questions that are important to discuss together, says Kristin Johansson.

– We’ve included this as part of the Blue Collaboration project, and we want to make it a little easier to talk about these issues without letting individual interests be the sole driving force. That’s where Innovatum Science Park comes in as a neutral party.
During the day, it also became clear that many companies have both knowledge and drive, but that there is sometimes a lack of connections between different stakeholders.

– “We at Innovatum are spoiled by our networks and the market intelligence we have access to. Many of the companies have a good grasp of their own operations, but don’t always have the same opportunity to keep track of what’s happening outside their own bubble.”

She sees an important role for Innovatum Science Park moving forward. She also highlights the importance of maintaining a presence out in the companies and in coastal communities.

– We will continue to invite more stakeholders into our networks and create meeting places where new collaborations can emerge; communication, among other things, will be incredibly important! We simply need to keep getting out there and visiting companies and locations, both to understand their needs and to be able to spread knowledge and connections further.

In connection with the gathering, a project meeting was also held within Blå Samverkan (BlåS), where several different project partners participated and looked ahead to new activities within the project.

The day spent together in Glommen demonstrated not only the breadth of ideas and expertise along the west coast—but also the need for more opportunities where people, businesses, and organizations can come together to explore the blue opportunities of the future.