ena Development Consultants, responsible for the communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities of the European project MARMADE, participated in the project’s Kick-Off Meeting, held on 12 September 2025 at the University of Camerino in Italy.
The meeting brought together all project partners, as well as representatives of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), marking the official launch of a four-year collaboration focused on transforming marine biomass into sustainable, high-value ingredients for food and feed applications.
ena Development Consultants was represented by Manolis Tsantakis, Stella Bazdani, Project Manager of MARMADE, and Dimitris Giannakoudis, member of the Marketing Department. During the meeting, ena presented the activities it coordinates and had the opportunity to network with partners, establishing a strong foundation for the successful implementation of the project.
Throughout the Kick-Off Meeting, partners defined the objectives of the first project period and developed a strategic framework to maximise the project’s impact and foster synergies with other European initiatives. Key European strategies related to the circular economy, pollution reduction, sustainable food production, and the bioeconomy were also presented and discussed.
A major outcome of the meeting was the development of a comprehensive action plan, including specific responsibilities for each partner and a detailed implementation timeline.
About MARMADE
MARMADE aims to valorise marine biomass, such as shrimp residues, blue crabs, and algae, to create new, healthy, and sustainable ingredients for food and feed products.
The concept is simple but powerful: instead of allowing marine by-products to go to waste, MARMADE transforms them into high-value nutritional ingredients, contributing to pollution reduction, circular economy practices, and the protection of marine ecosystems.
Project Objectives
Over the next four years, MARMADE will focus on:
Developing efficient biorefinery processes for the extraction of valuable ingredients, including prebiotics, probiotics, vitamins, peptides, oligosaccharides, lipids, emulsifiers, and digestion enhancers.
Creating innovative food and feed prototypes with improved nutritional and sensory properties.
Ensuring compliance with safety, sustainability, and regulatory standards to support the future commercial exploitation of project results.
Why MARMADE Matters
MARMADE brings innovation closer to our everyday lives by supporting the development of healthier food products with fewer chemical additives and a lower environmental footprint.
At the same time, the project strengthens the circular economy by ensuring that valuable marine resources are not wasted. In this way, MARMADE supports:
Consumers, through improved nutrition.
Producers, through the development of new product opportunities.
The environment, through reduced waste and pollution.
The Consortium
MARMADE is funded by the European Union through CBE JU and brings together 11 partners from 7 countries, including universities, research centres, and SMEs with expertise in biotechnology, nutrition, and sustainability.
The project is coordinated by the University of Camerino, with the participation of:
Biochica Srl – Italy
Agenzia Per La Promozione Della Ricerca Europea – Italy
ena Development Consultants – Greece
Syddansk Universitet – Denmark
Universidad de Granada – Spain
Fundación CTAQUA – Spain
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft – Germany
University College Cork – Ireland
Algae Scope LTD – United Kingdom
Wunderfish GmbH – Germany
Next Steps
The project partners will begin by mapping available marine biomass and analysing the regulatory framework governing marine biomass in the European Union.
ena Development Consultants continues to actively participate in European projects that promote innovative and sustainable solutions, contributing to the development of a more resilient and sustainable future for food systems, the bioeconomy, and environmental protection in Europe.
ena Development Consultants would like to warmly thank the University of Camerino for hosting the meeting and all project partners for their contribution to the successful launch of MARMADE.