High-tech photobioreactor for high-quality microalgae production in support of sustainable aquaculture

To safeguard and further strengthen its (inter)nationally recognized research in sustainable aquaculture, the Laboratory of Aquaculture and the Artemia Reference Center (ARC, Ghent University) requests support for the replacement and expansion of its existing microalgae production infrastructure. This application concerns a high-tech photobioreactor that is essential to maintain the continuity, quality, and scale of current and future research. Without this infrastructure, critical experiments and project commitments would be severely compromised.

The new installation will enable the simultaneous cultivation of multiple algae species under strictly controlled and reproducible conditions, with high nutritional precision. Microalgae serve as the foundational feed for larvae and juveniles of marine species such as oysters, Artemia, shrimp, and fish, and are key to ensuring microbial stability and performance in aquatic food systems.

The photobioreactor is indispensable for the execution of several Flemish and European research projects in which ARC plays a leading role. In the Flemish nature restoration project REEFCOVERY, the reactor is crucial for rearing European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis), while in the HORIZON EUROPE project ULTFARMS, robust algae production is needed to support research on circular aquaculture in offshore wind farms. The new infrastructure will also reinforce ARC’s capacity within other consortia such as BLUE CONNECT and in upcoming proposals focusing on probiotics and pathogen control.

Other Ghent University research groups, including CMET, PAE, and DI11, will benefit from this infrastructure for interdisciplinary studies on, respectively, microbial management, algal biodiversity, and studies on parasitic oyster infections. The installation is also structurally integrated into educational programs such as Algae Culture and Lab Facility Management, within the MSc in Aquaculture, IMAQUA, and AquaH. Students are trained in direct connection with cutting-edge research activities.

This photobioreactor is not merely a replacement of outdated infrastructure but a critical enabler to sustain and advance Ghent University’s national and international leadership in sustainable marine production, food innovation, and ecosystem restoration.