On 20-21 October, project partners, stakeholders, researchers and industry representatives gathered at CTAQUA in El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz, Spain) for the NOVAFOODIES M42 Meeting and Final Event. The gathering marked the culmination of three years of collaborative work dedicated to developing sustainable functional food production systems based on marine and freshwater resources.

The two-day programme was carefully designed to showcase NOVAFOODIES most significant achievements while exploring future opportunities for exploitation, market uptake and the continuation of research activities. During the first day, consortium partners presented the key results achieved across all Work Packages, covering a broad range of topics, from Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems and algae cultivation technologies to novel food formulations, digital traceability tools and sustainability assessments. Particular attention was dedicated to discussing the project’s legacy and future perspectives beyond its official lifetime.

The second day opened the discussion to a wider audience and featured sessions focused on project impacts, policy recommendations, lessons learned, product demonstrations and networking opportunities. Stakeholder engagement played a central role throughout the event, fostering dialogue among researchers, industry representatives, policymakers and innovation actors from across Europe.

A key highlight was the clustering activity involving NOVAFOODIES sister projects, including ALGOVEX, INNOAQUA and PROTEIN4IMPACT, which provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, identify synergies and explore future collaboration pathways. Another prominent session was the roundtable discussion on “Regulatory and Innovative Pathways for Novel Foods”, which brought together representatives from EFSA, Beecofarm and GO INFOTEAM®. The discussion explored challenges and opportunities related to novel foods, sustainable aquaculture, algae-based products and market deployment, while also highlighting the importance of continued cooperation across the blue economy ecosystem.

The Final Conference also featured a dedicated Young Researchers Session, offering early-career scientists the opportunity to present their work and engage with the wider research community. During the session, three researchers from the University of Genoa and one researcher from University College Cork showcased the research activities they carried out within the NOVAFOODIES project.

Participants also had the opportunity to explore some of the project’s most innovative achievements, including:

• Upscaled Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) solutions;
• Innovative microalgae and macroalgae applications;
• Novel functional food products developed within the project;
• Sustainable aquafeed formulations;
• Seaweed-based packaging solutions;
• Digital traceability and monitoring tools;
• Business and market-oriented solutions supporting transparency and consumer trust.).

As NOVAFOODIES reaches its conclusion, the event celebrated not only the scientific and technological results achieved, but also the strong network of collaborations established throughout the project. The knowledge generated, partnerships built and solutions developed will continue to support innovation within the blue bioeconomy and contribute to shaping the future of sustainable food systems in Europe.

The consortium would like to express its sincere gratitude to all partners, stakeholders and contributors who have supported this journey, and a special thank you to CTAQUA for hosting the final event and bringing together stakeholders to discuss the future of aquaculture, algae innovation and sustainable food production.

While the project officially comes to an end, the conversations, collaborations and innovations fostered by NOVAFOODIES will continue to create value and inspire future initiatives across Europe’s food and aquaculture sectors.