Västra Götaland - a node for the blue bioeconomy

A large proportion of the country's biomarine companies are located in Västra Götaland and here innovation and new business ideas are simmering. This is shown by a survey conducted by Coest on behalf of Innovatum Science Park.

In 2022, Innovatum Science Park, with the help of the analysis company Coest, conducted a current situation and impact analysis of the blue bioeconomy in Sweden in the seafood and marine biotechnology industries. The analysis was based on SNI codes (Swedish classification of economic activities) and through interviews with companies in the relevant industries, cluster and innovation support actors. By analyzing the development during the time period 2015 - 2020, the goal was to find a "zero value" that can be used for development and trend analysis in the blue bioeconomy.

The place for biomarina businesses

Västra Götaland stands out as an important location for biomarine industries in Sweden. Not only because the West Coast is a strong arena for marine research and innovation, but also because a large proportion of the country's biomarine companies and professionals are located in the region. There is also a strong entrepreneurial spirit with many start-up companies, especially in cultivation/aquaculture. The link to academia is also a strength, with several spin-off companies from research projects and research institutes. However, many companies are small and the largest turnover is still in the traditional fishing industry and in some larger blue processing companies.

Challenges to work on further

The blue bioeconomy is on the rise and there are great opportunities, but also challenges.

• Gap in the value chain. More innovation and more actors are needed in areas such as processing and product development. In the region, the vast majority of companies today are in primary production (farming and fishing) and wholesale, and many new companies and start-ups in farming and fishing often have to take responsibility for several parts of the value chain themselves.
• Permits and legislation. Permit processes, e.g. for land- and sea-based aquaculture, are currently bottlenecks. Although there are national targets for scaling up the blue bioeconomy, legislation and interpretations of these are not always harmonized. Individual companies get stuck in permit processes and complicated regulations. Legislation is also not updated/adapted to circular business models, which creates challenges for their development.  
• Automation and skills supply. In the Swedish seafood industry, many tasks are still done manually. There is great potential for increased digitization and automation, which can help make the seafood industry both more efficient and more attractive as a future workplace.  
• Competition and product development. Creating a market for the new blue food requires product development, marketing and changes in consumer behavior. Competing with other countries, such as Norway and Poland, which already have large market shares in the Nordic region, is also a major challenge for the newly started blue companies in Sweden.
• Financing. For the new blue industry to be sustained and flourish, capital and investment is also needed from both the private and public/government sectors. More venture capitalists as well as funds and greater opportunities to invest money in the blue sector are needed.

Are you the next blue entrepreneur?

There is no challenge that does not also present an opportunity. Despite the challenges, the blue bioeconomy is predicted to play an important role in the future. More companies are needed in areas such as processing, product development and marine biotechnology - there are gaps to fill and market shares to take. With plenty of green energy and ambitious environmental and animal welfare legislation, Sweden has unique opportunities to use sustainability as a competitive advantage.