ALGOSOURCE TECHNOLOGIES

Their core work

ALGOSOURCE TECHNOLOGIES is a French SME specializing in the cultivation, processing, and application of microalgae as a source of high-value ingredients for food, animal feed, and cosmetics markets. Based in Asserac on the Atlantic coast of Brittany — an area with natural conditions suited to aquatic biomass production — they bring industrial-scale microalgae expertise to large collaborative research consortia. Their practical contribution in EU projects centers on supplying biomass, providing process know-how for extracting protein and bioactive compounds from algae, and validating the commercial viability of algae-derived ingredients. They occupy a niche where biotechnology meets agri-food supply chains, positioning them as a rare bridge between algae production and ingredient formulation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first project (MAGNIFICENT, 2017), ALGOSOURCE was part of a broader scope that positioned microalgae as a feedstock for three distinct markets — food, feed, and cosmetics — reflecting an early-stage, exploratory posture typical of BBI Research and Innovation Actions. By 2019, their second project (ProFuture) narrowed the focus sharply to protein ingredients for food and feed specifically, with sustainability explicitly entering the framing. This shift from "what can microalgae be used for?" to "how do we make microalgae protein work at scale?" signals a move from exploration to market-readiness and commercialization.

ALGOSOURCE is converging on microalgae protein as a commercial product category, making them a relevant partner for any consortium targeting alternative proteins, food security, or sustainable feed supply chains.

How they like to work

ALGOSOURCE participates exclusively as a consortium member — they have never coordinated an H2020 project — which is consistent with an SME that contributes specific industrial capabilities rather than leading research agendas. Despite only two projects, they have engaged with 46 unique partners across 14 countries, which is unusually broad and suggests they are valued as a specialist contributor in large multi-partner consortia rather than a small, tight network player. Working with them likely means accessing their production infrastructure and applied microalgae knowledge as a practical counterweight to academic research partners in the same consortium.

With 46 consortium partners across 14 countries from just two projects, ALGOSOURCE has a surprisingly wide European network relative to their project volume, indicating participation in large flagship Bio-Based Industries consortia. Their geographic reach is genuinely pan-European, though their home base in Atlantic France may give them particular ties to marine and coastal research institutions.

What sets them apart

ALGOSOURCE is one of very few French private companies with hands-on microalgae production experience validated across multiple EU-funded research programs — most microalgae work in H2020 was led by universities or research institutes. Their location in coastal Brittany is not incidental: it reflects genuine access to marine biomass ecosystems and an operational production context, not just laboratory competence. For a consortium needing a credible industrial microalgae producer to bridge the gap between lab-scale results and market-ready ingredients, they fill a role that is genuinely hard to replicate with academic partners alone.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MAGNIFICENT
  The larger of their two projects at €559,579 EC funding, it established ALGOSOURCE's credentials across three application markets (food, feed, cosmetics) and anchored them in the BBI-JU network.
• ProFuture
  This Innovation Action — a higher TRL funding scheme than MAGNIFICENT — signals that ALGOSOURCE moved from research toward commercial validation of microalgae protein, which is the more strategically significant step.