Investalga

A project focused on algae cultivation and the production of high-value-added compounds. The company's short- and medium-term objective is to develop a scientific-technical-industrial foundation combining different disciplines—biotechnology, marine ecology, aquaculture, chemistry, nutrition, and medicine—that will serve to accredit and highlight the numerous possibilities derived from the biochemical composition of macroalga and other marine organisms, and to identify new uses and applications for them.

Biologist Lara Arroyo was responsible for presenting the project and expansion plan for Investalga, a company supported by the Government and the University of Cantabria. Algae, in their applications and uses, hold great promise for environmental sustainability, but also for the development of diverse applications ranging from food to pharmacology, cosmetics, biomaterials, and their use in water purification and recirculation. A group of experienced professionals in Cantabria have been working on potential applications of research and the transfer of acquired knowledge to business activity since mid-2016. Lara Arroyo, a PhD in biology with 15 years of experience in marine ecology research, is accompanied on the project by Juan Robles Chamón, an industrial engineer with expertise in project management, and Jorge Ruiz del Río, a molecular biologist.