Bigelow Laboratory Launches Blue Biotech Initiative to Grow Maine’s Ocean Economy

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has launched a major new phase in its multi-year strategy to grow Maine’s blue biotechnology sector — turning world-class ocean research into high-value products, businesses, and jobs that strengthen coastal and rural communities.

Building on recent federal investments that expanded capacity for translational research — including support championed by the joint efforts of Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King, and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree — the institute and its partners are now scaling up the effort with critical seed funding from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI).

Together with Hatch Blue and Ocean House Consulting, Bigelow Laboratory is leading the creation of a Blue Biotech Innovation Ecosystem to unite entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers and bolster Maine’s position as a national leader in blue biotech.

“These initiatives are creating the ecosystem to help translate the cutting-edge research already happening here into real-world solutions and market-ready products, supported by a skilled, Maine-based workforce,” said Bigelow Laboratory Vice President for Research Beth Orcutt.

State and Partners Drive Momentum

The new MTI award supports an innovation studio and investor summit that will accelerate the translation of marine science into commercial opportunity. The studio will connect entrepreneurs and businesses to R&D facilities, strategic consulting, market research, and mentoring — all designed to maximize follow-on funding and long-term success.

“MTI is thrilled to support Bigelow Laboratory's Maine Blue Biotech initiative through a recent funding award,” said Brian Whitney, president of MTI. “This project positions Maine to become the nation's leading hub for marine biotechnology innovation by leveraging our state's unparalleled competitive advantages. We're particularly excited about the partnership with Hatch Blue and the strategic roadmap that will be created to help transform Maine's abundant marine resources into high-value biotechnology products, generating quality jobs and attracting significant investment to our state.”

Hatch Blue — a global leader in blue economy innovation and venture development — brings deep expertise in scaling blue biotech ecosystems, with over $300 million in follow-on capital raised to date. Bigelow Laboratory contributes its diverse algae collection, advanced analytical capacity, and track record of turning discovery into opportunity.

A Blueprint for Growth

This statewide push follows the release of a new regional ecosystem assessment and roadmap developed by Bigelow Laboratory, Hatch Blue, and Ocean House Consulting after a three-month stakeholder “sprint” this summer. The report identifies over 1,000 organizations already connected to marine biotechnology across New England — with Maine home to the region’s largest concentration.

“The most notable takeaway from the ecosystem assessment was seeing just how many organizations are already connected to this work in Maine,” Orcutt said. “It really justifies this effort and illustrates how much momentum we already have in this space.”

The roadmap outlines three near-term, key priorities for accelerating growth:

• Upcycling fishing and aquaculture byproducts
• Expanding seaweed aquaculture
• Discovering new genetic resources and compounds from algae, including seaweed

It also calls for establishing coastal hubs, recruiting entrepreneurs, expanding workforce training, attracting private capital, and fostering community initiatives — all aimed at building a self-sustaining innovation engine for Maine’s blue economy.

"Maine holds an exceptional competitive advantage to claim a global role in blue biotechnology — an emerging cornerstone of the state’s life sciences and economic development strategy. Our ecosystem assessment of the New England Blue Biotechnology Cluster clearly reflects this potential," said Tanja Hoel, managing director of Hatch Blue. "From my very first encounter with Maine’s innovation community, the opportunity was evident. Hatch Blue is proud to contribute to this growing initiative."

Maine’s Competitive Edge

Blue biotechnology — the intersection of life sciences and the blue economy — is one of the fastest-growing global industries, projected to exceed $10 billion in value by 2027. It focuses on developing high-value products and services derived from marine organisms such as algae, seaweed, and aquaculture byproducts — with applications in pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, agriculture, and more.

The Maine Blue Economy Task Force has identified marine biotech as a key “growth opportunity” for the state, citing Maine’s unique combination of assets, including: a rich marine ecosystem, expansive coastline, strong research institutions, experienced coastal communities, and proximity to Boston’s global biotech corridor. Key among those competitive advantages is the state’s strong maritime heritage, with a tradition in fishing and ship building that can both help bolster — and reap the benefits of — a growing biotech industry.

“The Maine Blue Biotech project addresses a critical gap in Maine’s innovation ecosystem to support blue biotechnology businesses leveraging our state’s unique marine assets while connecting to global markets,” said Wade Merritt, president of the Maine International Trade Center and state director of international trade at the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development. “The partnership with Hatch Blue brings essential international experience and networks that will accelerate Maine’s development as a global blue biotech hub.”

”We believe Maine can play a major role in the blue economy in the North Atlantic, attract international interest, investment capital and entrepreneurs, and create jobs and economic impact,” added Tim Agnew, general partner at Bold Ocean Ventures, a blue economy growth firm connecting science to capital. “The Maine Blue Biotech innovation ecosystem project is both an important effort to support emerging entrepreneurs and a signal to the blue economy community generally that Maine is on the move.”

Building on Strength and Success

The Blue Biotech Innovation Ecosystem builds directly on Bigelow Laboratory’s existing major initiatives, including the Coast Cow Consumer project and the Maine Algal Research Infrastructure and Accelerator (MARIA) project. The latter was launched last year with funding from the National Science Foundation to help translate algae-based research into commercial opportunities. MARIA provides kickstarter grants for algae-derived biotechnology projects of the kind that will be nurtured in the new innovation studio.

“This new Blue Biotech Innovation Ecosystem, and the investors and entrepreneurs it will attract to Maine, will increase the success of other funded activities, including MARIA,” said Mike Lomas, senior research scientist and director of the National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota.

Parallel statewide efforts are providing a boost to this work. The new Life Sciences Center, launched last month by Governor Janet Mills, will expand the state’s capacity for biotech research and innovation. The University of Maine and Roux Institute, as part of the NSF I-Corps Hub New England Region out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are also launching a new I-Corps training cohort to help bring research-based technologies to market — with a focus on advancing blue biotech innovation.

In October 2025, Bigelow Laboratory is also convening and participating in a series of high-impact events — including the Blue Economy Investment Summit, the Blue Economy Innovation Summit, and the inaugural Maine Algae Science Day — all designed to connect researchers, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers to the growing blue economy.

Each of these milestones reinforces the same vision: Maine is building the nation’s hub for ocean-based biotechnology powered by science, strong heritage industries, innovation, and a shared belief that the future of biotech — and our state’s economy — is blue.

“All of these efforts are coalescing to build a launching pad for both home-grown companies and those we’re trying to recruit to the state,” Orcutt said. “Our proposition is that Maine is the place in the nation to grow blue biotech, and together this innovation ecosystem is making that happen. The future of biotech is blue and will launch in Maine.”