BioMara is a startup with a new team motivated to build a successful, high-growth business innovating for net zero in the UK seaweed industry supply chain. Through this 'fast start' innovation project, BioMara will consolidate its partnerships with seaweed farmers to support regional communities and lock in reliable biomass supply. BioMara will identify the best local seaweed species as input for its first target product, the polysaccharide fucoidan, focusing on product differentiation and predicted bioactivity. BioMara will carry out an initial evaluation of sustainable extraction methods for its fucoidan product, which will be targeted toward the functional food/supplements market. This work will encompass an innovative zero-waste biorefinery concept, also valorising all non-fucoidan biomass components and their potential applications. This project will underpin the entry of Biomara into the UK seaweed sector and support the development of sustainable, net-zero products from the growing UK seaweed farming industry.

_"Scotland's marine biotechnology cluster is focused on the higher end of the value chain such as speciality products, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, food and supplements."_ (_Biorefinery Roadmap for Scotland, 2019)_