Blue innovation: Oceans to feed the planet

27 February 2018, 10:00 - 13:00

The over-exploitation of lands has shown its limits. New research suggests the oceans and seas have vast
potential to feed the planet - but tapping that resource ecologically will be a challenge for science, industry,
regulation, fisheries, health, climate and all the other silos of EU policy.
Following a scientific opinion by the EU’s Scientific Advice Mechanism and SAPEA report, Science|Business
is bringing together its members and experts to debate the steps needed across the policy world to get more
- and better - food from the oceans.

9:30 Registration and coffee

10:00 Welcome by Oda Helen Sletnes, Ambassador of Norway to the EU
10:10 Introduction by Maryline Fiaschi, Managing Director, Science|Business
Food from the Oceans: resources and challenges
Presentation of the SAM opinion and SAPEA Report followed by a group discussion
11:30 Coffee break
11:50  I nnovative solutions to get more food from the oceans: Towards a more sustainable
food production, new technologies and novel food, partnership models, etc.
A group discussion building on case studies by governments, companies, research labs
13:00 Networking lunch

F E AT U R E D G U E S T S
O DA H E L E N S L E T N E S
NORWAY’S AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
Ambassador Oda Helen Sletnes was appointed Norway’s ambassador to the European Union in 2015. She previously held
this position from 2006-2011. Sletnes joined the Foreign Service in 1981 after graduating from the Norwegian Technical
University, NTH, with a diploma in architecture and urban planning. She has served as a Norwegian diplomat in Paris and
Ottawa and as deputy head of the Norwegian Mission to the EU 1997-2001. Sletnes has held a number of positions relating
to European affairs. She was a member of the Norwegian negotiation team for EU accession in 1994 and director general for
European affairs in MFA 2003-2005. After more than five years in the post as head of Mission and ambassador to the EU
2006-2011, she was appointed president of the EFTA Surveillance Authority in Brussels from 1 July 2011 - a position she held
until June 2015.

P E A R L DY K S T R A
DEPUTY CHAIR, SCIENTIFIC ADVICE MECHANISM HIGH LEVEL GROUP
Pearl Dykstra has a chair in empirical sociology and is director of research of the Department of Public Administration and
Sociology at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Previously, she had a chair in kinship demography at Utrecht University and
was a senior scientist at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) in The Hague. Her publications focus
on intergenerational solidarity, aging societies, family change, aging and the life course, and late-life well-being. She is an elected
member of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW, 2004) and previous vice-president of the KNAW,
elected member of the Dutch Social Sciences Council (SWR, 2006), elected fellow of the Gerontological Society of America
(2010), and elected member of Academia Europaea (2016). In 2015 she was appointed as member of the High Level Group of
scientists who advise the College of European Commissioners, and currently serves as its deputy chair.
L AU R A A L E X A N D R O V
SENIOR RESEARCHER, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MARINE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT,
ROMANIA
Mihaela Laurenta Alexandrov is a senior researcher at the National Institute for Marine Research and Development
“G.Antipa” in Constanta, Romania. She holds a degree in fisheries and aquaculture technologies and a PhD in industrial
engineering from the University “Lower Danube,” Galati. She has a postgraduate degree in marine ecology, aquaculture
and marine spatial planning (MSP), and specialises in ecological effects of pollution, recirculated system, eutrophication,
fisheries and environment development. She is a representative of MSP Focal Point for the Black Sea under the MSP
Platform and NIMRD project coordinator for MSP projects. She has been a lecturer affiliated to the Ovidius University
of Constanta and to Balkan Training Centre (BENA). Alexandrov is a member of the Romanian CISE Commission for
Maritime Surveillance (under the Ministry of Transport coordination), of the National Committee of Coastal Zone
(coordinated by the Ministry of Waters and Forests), and of the Scientific Council of NIMRD “G.Antipa.”

M A RY L I N E F IA S C H I
MANAGING DIRECTOR, SCIENCE|BUSINESS
After six years managing EU education programmes with the European Commission, Maryline entered the media
business in 2007. She held business development positions at Shanghai Daily and EU affairs media company EurActiv.
She joined Science|Business in 2011 where she now leads the company’s operations and growth strategy. She is also
an external evaluator for several EU higher education and research and innovation programmes. Maryline holds
degrees from Université La Sorbonne, Università di Bologna and Université de Louvain.

K E N F I N D L AY
RESEARCH CHAIR IN OCEANS ECONOMY, CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Ken Findlay is the research chair in oceans economy at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in Cape Town,
South Africa and previously directed the MRI Whale Unit of the University of Pretoria. At CPUT, Findlay is developing
the Sustainable Oceans Institute (SOI), focusing on oceans economies and governance and ecosystem based management
approaches to balancing ocean health and human benefits from the ocean space. As a marine mammal biologist, he was
integrally involved in marine mammal research in the Southern African region, in the Arabian Sea region, the Western
Indian Ocean and in the Southern Ocean for the last 30 years. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the International
Whaling Commission (IWC) and is a member of both the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group and Sirenian Specialist Group.

M A R I NA G E B E RT
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY, FRAUNHOFER EMB
Marina Gebert has extensive experiences in the areas of molecular and cell biology. She conducted her PhD work on a
selected aspect of the developmental physiology of plants at the University of Hamburg and University of Regensburg and
finished her thesis in 2008. Since 2008, she has been working at the Fraunhofer-Institution for Marine Biotechnology and
Cell Technology (EMB). There, she first established the working group “Aquatic Cell Technology,” which is concerned with
the isolation and usage of fish cells for diagnostics and vaccine development and the application of cell and molecular biology
methods for aquaculture. Due to the broadening of the research topics of the EMB, she paved the way for the foundation of the
new working group “Aquaculture.” The group is working on the optimization of polytrophic systems and the reproduction of
novel aquaculture species as well as animal welfare aspects of fish. In 2017, Gebert further founded the working group “Food
Technology,” which is currently mainly working on the development of novel food from marine resources.

S I G I G RU B E R
HEAD OF MARINE RESOURCES UNIT, DG RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Sigi Gruber has been head of the Marine Resources Unit, in the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the
European Commission, since 2014. The Unit defines, implements and monitors research and innovation objectives and
priorities to support the Blue Economy, the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy and its related Seabasin Strategies, and the
Common Fisheries Policy, thereby contributing to the sustainable and responsible management of marine resources, both
in Europe and globally. In 2011, she headed the unit responsible for EU Science and Technology cooperation with North
America, Latin America and the Caribbean; in 2007, she headed the unit responsible for relations with Third Countries.
Prior to joining the European Commission, she worked in the public and private sector in Italy and Germany.
 POUL HOLM
PROFESSOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
Poul Holm is a member of Academia Europaea, vice-chair of the Humanities Class, president of the European
Alliance for the Social Sciences and Humanities, chair of the Oceans Past Initiative (OPI) - a global network of
some 200 associate historians, archaeologists and marine scientists aiming to understand human impact on ocean
ecology. In the past, Holm has been professor of maritime history at University of Southern Denmark, and rector
of the University of Roskilde. He was president of the European Society for Environmental History in 2005-7. In
2017, Enterprise Ireland named him ‘Champion of European Research’ as the highest ranked Irish researcher by the
European Research Council in the last five years across all disciplinary fields.

POPPY KALESI
EU ADVISOR, NORWEGIAN SEAFOOD INNOVATION CLUSTER, NCE SEAFOOD
Poppy Kalesi is EU Advisor for the Norwegian Seafood Innovation Cluster, NCE Seafood. She was part of the
stakeholder group which helped calibrate the findings of Scientific Advice Mechanism’s “Food from the Oceans”
F E AT U R E D G U E S T S

report. Kalesi has over fifteen years of experience with EU policy, innovation and business development through
various roles in both the public and private sectors including organisations such as Statoil, the European Commission
and the European Parliament. She holds an MA in European politics from the Institut d’Etudes Européennes at
Université Libre de Bruxelles.

FELIX LEINEMANN
HEAD OF UNIT FOR BLUE ECONOMY SECTORS, AQUACULTURE AND MARITIME SPATIAL
PLANNING, DG MARITIME AFFAIRS AND FISHERIES, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Felix Leinemann is head of unit for Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning. He has worked
for the European Commission since 2003 in various fields including fisheries and maritime policy, shipping, aviation
and urban transport, as well as the EU’s global navigation satellite system Galileo. Between 2012 and 2014, he worked
as Transport Counselor in the EU Delegation in Washington, DC. Before that, he was a member of the private office of
European Commission vice-president Siim Kallas, after having been an assistant to the director general for mobility and
transport since 2010. Leinemann holds a PhD from the University of Freiburg, Germany, following law studies in Germany
and Italy. Before joining the Commission, he worked as a lawyer and advocacy officer in Germany, France and Belgium.

Y N G VA R O L S E N
PROFESSOR IN DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY (NTNU)
Yngvar Olsen is full professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) with 30 years experience in the
research field of marine ecology and aquaculture. He has published more than160 papers in international peer-reviewed
journals and educated 18 PhD students. He was senior scientist in SINTEF Aquaculture and later director of the Strategic
Marine Focus Area at NTNU. Besides, he has been a member of: board of directors of World Aquaculture Society (2002-
06); the International Advisory Board of GEOMAR (2004-12); ERC panel 9 (2013-present); MARINFORSK Board in the
Norwegian Research Council (2014-present); and SAPEA Working Group on Food from the Oceans (2017). He has been
Principal Advisor in FAO-project Offshore Mariculture and a founder of the European Aquaculture Technology and
Innovation Platform (EATiP).

R I C A R D O S E R R ÃO S A N T O S
MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Ricardo Serrão Santos has been a member of the European Parliament since July 2014 and full member of the Committees on
Fisheries and on Agriculture and Rural Development. He is coordinator for Socialists and Democrats’ group on fisheries and
the vice-chair of the Parliament intergroups on “Seas, Islands, Rivers and Coastal Zones” and on “Climate change, Biodiversity
and Sustainable Development.” He holds a doctorate degree from the Universities of Liverpool and the Azores. He has also
been the president of IMAR-Institute of Marine Research, and pro-rector and director of the department Oceanography and
Fisheries at the University of the Azores, vice-chair of the European Marine Board and chair of EurOcean. He was honoured
as member of the Portuguese Academy of Sciences (Class of Sciences, Section of Biological Sciences) in 2009 and emeritus
member of the Portuguese Navy Academy (Class of Arts, Letters and Sciences) in 2017.

E R I K VA N S E B I L L E
PROFESSOR IN PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, UTRECHT UNIVERSITY
Erik van Sebille is associate professor in Physical Oceanography at Utrecht University. He investigates how ocean
currents transport organisms and marine plastic litter. He is interested in genetic connectivity between different
regions of the ocean, and how better understanding of ocean circulation aids planning of Marine Protected Areas.
In 2015, he was awarded a European Research Council Starting Grant to create a 3-dimensional inventory of plastic
litter in our global oceans, and how that distribution of plastic in the global ocean impacts marine ecosystems.
 Hosted by:

L I S T O F PA RT I C I PA N T S
Laura Alexandrov, Senior Researcher, National Institute for Marine Research and Development, Romania
Maarten Bavinck, Associate Professor, Co-founder of Centre for Maritime Studies, University of Amsterdam
Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Vice Rector for European and International Research, Professor of Ecology, University of Pisa
Anne Christine Brusendorff, General Secretary, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
Samantha Burgess, Head of European Marine Policy, World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)
Massimo Busuoli, Head of Brussels office, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Francisco Doblas, Director of the Earth Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre
Pearl Dykstra, Deputy Chair, Scientific Advice Mechanism High Level Group
Agathe Euzen, Deputy Scientific Director, Ecology & Environment Institute, CNRS
Maryline Fiaschi, Managing Director, Science|Business
Ken Findlay, Research Chair in Oceans Economy, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Diane Fresquez, Media Consultant, Science|Business
Françoise Gaill, Scientific Advisor for the Ecology & Environment Institute, CNRS
James Gavigan, Policy Officer, Scientific Advice Mechanism, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
Marina Gebert, Head of Marine Biotechnology Department, Fraunhofer
Fredrik Gröndahl, Head of Department of Sustainable Development Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED),
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Sigi Gruber, Head of Marine Resources Unit, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
Natalia Grzomba, Project Assistant, Science|Business
Poul Holm, Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA), Social Sciences and Humanities Working Group
on Food from the Oceans
Poppy Kalesi, EU Advisor, NCE Seafood
Deniz Karaca, Science Officer, COST Association
Eanna Kelly, News Editor, Science|Business
Johannes Klumpers, Head of Unit, Scientific Advice Mechanism, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
Gustavo Larrazábal, Managing Director, Aquanaria
Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning, DG Maritime
Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Mark Mistry, Senior Manager Public Policy, Nickel Institute
Alexandra Neys, Secretary General, European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform
Laura Norton, Head of Communications, Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA)
Pi Nyvall Collen, R&D Manager, Olmix
Yngvar Olsen, Professor, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Tom Redd, Scientific Advisor, JPI Oceans
Alain Reocreux, Special Adviser, Olmix
Rafael Robaina Romero, Rector, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Ricardo Serrão Santos, Member, European Parliament
Oda Helen Sletnes, Ambassador, Mission of Norway to the EU
Are Straume, Counsellor for Research, Mission of Norway to the EU
Rune Torhaug, Director of EU Government and Public Affairs, DNV GL
Erik van Sebille, Associate Professor, Utrecht University
Margreet van Vilsteren, Co-founder, Good Fish Foundation
Filip Volckaert, Professor, Department of Biology, KU Leuven
Stephane Vrignaud, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration representative, U.S. Mission to the EU