As part of the second General Assembly of the PROTEUS project, partners gathered in Bréhan, Brittany, for a hands-on Stakeholder Mapping Workshop led by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum. The session marked a key milestone in the project’s networking efforts, equipping the consortium with shared tools to strategically engage with the wider ecosystem around Europe’s flagship brown seaweed biorefinery.
The interactive workshop brought together all project partners in a lively, collaborative setting. Participants were divided into three mixed groups, each working with two pre-prepared visual templates designed to:
- Identify key stakeholders across the value chain — from industry and academia to regulators, civil society, and local communities.
- Assess their importance and engagement level, based on the impact they may have on the project and the influence PROTEUS might have on them.
Using colourful sticky notes and guided facilitation, each group populated the stakeholder map with actors relevant to the PROTEUS mission, including those involved in seaweed harvesting, biorefinery operations, end-product application, and policy development. The second template enabled teams to position each stakeholder according to their priority and interaction level, helping shape targeted engagement strategies for the future.
This structured yet flexible approach sparked fruitful discussion, raised awareness about different national and sectoral perspectives, and laid the groundwork for inclusive communication and co-creation. The visual and physical nature of the exercise encouraged reflection, consensus-building, and a shared vision of stakeholder dynamics.
“Mapping our stakeholders together helps us align not just our communication but our values,” said Dr. Alparslan Akkus from Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, who facilitated the session. “It’s not only about who we need to talk to, it’s also about understanding the system we’re part of and where we want to have an impact.”
This workshop is just the beginning. Insights generated during the session will feed into a broader stakeholder engagement plan to ensure that PROTEUS delivers value beyond its technical outputs by addressing the needs and expectations of those who matter most.
Stay tuned as we continue to build Europe’s first industrial-scale biorefinery for brown seaweeds, responsibly, collaboratively, and strategically.
About the PROTEUS CBE JU Project
Funded by the Circular Biobased Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), the PROTEUS project—led by Alginor—aims to develop cutting-edge biorefinery technology to make better use of kelp side streams in a sustainable way.
This Proteus flagship project is financed by Circular Biobased Consortium Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). The coordinator Alginor is building state-of-the art technology and biorefinery to sustainably utilize new Kelp side streams from Kelp biomass.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the CBE JU. Neither the European Union nor the CBE JU can be held responsible for them.