Aerial view of Glommen harbour and village on the Halland coast

Glommen · Falkenberg · Halland

The blue bioeconomy takes shape in Glommen harbour.

Blue Hub Halland is a new innovation node on Sweden's west coast. Four companies in seaweed, seafood and circular flows are already part of the hub. Now we are opening up for startups, researchers and thesis students who want to rent a place and build the future of the marine sectors alongside them.

Rent a place in the hub See the projects

Photo: Filip Runeson

About the hub

A meeting place and testbed, right in the harbour.

Blue Hub Halland is a new, physical innovation node in Glommen. Four companies in algae cultivation, marine processing and circular use of residual streams make up the hub today – and there is room for more.

A neutral meeting place and testbed

Right in Glommen's harbour on the Halland coast – among the fishing fleet and the emerging offshore wind that is reshaping the marine economy.

A front door to a regional ecosystem

Research environments, real-world pilot facilities and access to regional and national capital.

Map of southern Sweden showing Blue Hub Halland at Falkenberg on the west coast, with Gothenburg to the north and Copenhagen across the strait — Falkenberg · Halland
Sweden's west coast, between Gothenburg and Copenhagen

Focus: Algae · aquaculture · marine biorefining · circular bioeconomy
Supporting projects: ENVOLVE 2 · Blå Samverkan
Status: Open – we are looking for more tenants

The companies in the hub

Four companies, one shared value chain.

KOBB, Upcyclr, Swedish Kelp and Blue Fields are the hub today. Together they span from cultivation at sea to processing and circular flows – and they want more people around them: startups, researchers and thesis students who want to work close to industry.

KOBB

Food from farmed seaweed

Turns farmed sugar kelp into food. In Glommen the seaweed is blanched, processed and packed into products such as seaweed salads, developed together with chef Frida Ronge.

kobb.nu

Upcyclr

Value from side streams

Puts side streams from food production to use. Patented drying that uses over 90 per cent less energy and gentle milling preserve nutrients, taste and colour.

upcyclr.se

Swedish Kelp

Seaweed farming

Farms seaweed and other cultivable marine resources.

Blue Fields

Seaweed farming permits

Works on permits for seaweed farming at sea off Glommen, where the company has previously farmed sugar kelp as a raw material for climate-smart food.

bluefields.se

Focus areas

From cultivation at sea to processing on land.

These are the areas where the hub's companies work – and where we want to see more ideas, ventures and research projects take their place.

Algae and seaweed

Cultivation at sea

Sea-based cultivation of seaweed and algae. A raw material for food, and for ingredients in supplements and biostimulants.

Aquaculture and seafood

More food from the sea

More seafood from Swedish waters – from farming and landing to processing, with the whole value chain close to the harbour.

Marine biorefining

More value from the raw material

Refining marine raw materials and side streams into higher-value ingredients and products.

Circular bioeconomy

Industrial symbiosis

Residual streams from the sea and the food industry become resources for new products instead of waste.

Rent a place in the hub

Be among the first.

The hub is new. Four companies are here today, but no startups, researchers or thesis students yet. We want to change that. Rent a place in Glommen harbour and help shape the hub from the start.

Startups

Build your venture here

For early-stage and scaling ventures in seafood, seaweed and biorefining. Rent a place next to companies that already farm and process, close to the harbour and the sea.

Ask about a place

Researchers

Do research close to industry

Rent a workspace in the harbour and try your research in a real industrial setting – together with companies that can put it to use.

Ask about a workspace

Thesis students

Write your thesis on site

The companies in the hub have real problems to solve. Rent a desk and write your thesis close to the operations – and get a foot in the door of a growing sector.

Ask about a desk

What you get close to

A place in Glommen harbour
Four companies in seaweed, seafood and circular flows
Real challenges from industry
Visibility through the hub's network
Two projects that connect you to research and funding

Projects supporting the hub

Two projects, one shared node.

Blue Hub Halland is where two collaborative projects meet and become tangible. Together they connect Glommen to research, companies and funding along the whole west coast.

ENVOLVE 2

The blue and green transformation of Halland

Halland's regional innovation platform for the blue and green bioeconomy. ENVOLVE 2 brings together companies, researchers and public actors who are renewing the region's food and marine sectors with new technology – on land and at sea.

Period: October 2024 – March 2027
Led by: Falkenberg Municipality
Funded by: Region Halland

envolve.earth

What the project does

Connects companies, academia, municipalities and investors who would not otherwise have found each other.
Builds pilot and demo environments where new technology can be tried before investing.
Shares knowledge through workshops, hackathons and Envolve Dialogues during Halland Tech Week.

How it connects to the hub

The Blue Hub Halland concept was developed within ENVOLVE 2. The hub is the project's physical node for the blue sectors.

Blå Samverkan

Blue Collaboration – joining forces for aquaculture in West Sweden

A West Sweden collaboration that strengthens the blue bioeconomy. The project drives innovation and skills development, builds networks across the aquaculture value chain and coordinates the actors in the collaboration platform for biomarine industries – in Västra Götaland and Halland.

Period: February 2025 – January 2028
Led by: Innovatum Science Park
Funded by: The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, among others
Partners: Including Chalmers, the University of Gothenburg, RISE, Sjömatsfrämjandet, Sotenäs Municipality and Falkenberg Municipality

The project at Chalmers Research

What the project does

Network meetings, study visits, workshops and matchmaking based on what companies need.
Guides companies to the right expertise, innovation support and funding.
Helps new companies and establishments fill gaps in the aquaculture value chain.

How it connects to the hub

Blue Hub Halland is a work package of its own in Blå Samverkan. From here, Halland's blue companies are connected to research and to actors along the whole west coast.

So far

A few steps along the way.

May 2025
Workshop in Glommen on scaling up the seaweed industry in Sweden
March 2026
Blue Hub Halland takes part in the Nordic Seafood Summit
June 2026
Letter of intent signed between Falkenberg Municipality and the companies in the hub
June 2026
Blue Hub Halland exhibits at Seagriculture EU in Gothenburg

In the media

Blue Hub in the media.

Reports and features on seaweed farming, new seafood and the development in Glommen.

Visitors at the fish and shellfish tables during the theme day in Glommen harbour — Photo: Angela Wiese Edeler/SR

Sveriges Radio · Klotet · 14 October 2026

Smaken är kung när folk väljer ny havsmat

Sveriges Radio's climate programme Klotet on making better use of the sea's food resources, with a report from a seafood theme day in Glommen. Elin Rehn of Falkenberg Municipality talks about seaweed farming. In Swedish.

Listen on Sveriges Radio

Crabs on a platter and a visitor being interviewed in Glommen – still from SVT's clip — Photo: Ella Persson/SVT

SVT Nyheter Halland · 1 October 2026

Superlokal sjömat serverades i Glommen – ”Underutnyttjad resurs”

SVT Halland at the seafood theme day in Glommen: crab, greater weever and seaweed salad. Food from the sea off the Halland coast is an under-used resource, and Falkenberg's business community wants to change that. In Swedish.

Watch the clip on SVT

Pupils at Långås School by a platter of langoustines – still from SVT's clip — Photo: Daniel Strömbäck/SVT

SVT Nyheter Halland · 12 May 2026

Tång och kräftor på menyn i Långåsskolan – se barnens reaktioner

Young pupils at Långås School in Falkenberg try seaweed salad and langoustines. The initiative aims to bring more local seafood from Glommen into the municipality's school kitchens while strengthening local food preparedness. In Swedish.

Watch the clip on SVT

Cajsa Torell, CEO of KOBB, with a diploma and a bouquet — Photo: Erik Olsson

Circular Gastronomy · 11 March 2026

Tång som nytt livsmedel – Cajsa Torell, Kobb, Glommen

A profile of KOBB, which since 2023 has been processing farmed sugar kelp in Glommen into ready-to-use seaweed products for restaurants and home cooks. In Swedish.

Read the article

Sugar kelp under the surface and freshly harvested seaweed in a crate — Photo: Hanna Sallén Lennerthson and KOBB

Landsbygdsnätverket · 9 May 2025

Sockertång med mindre jod – en väg framåt för svensk tångindustri

Together with the research institute RISE, KOBB is developing a process that lowers the iodine content of sugar kelp, so that seaweed can take a bigger place on the plate. The project is supported by the Swedish Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme. In Swedish.

Read the article

Boats at the seaweed farm off Glommen harbour, seen from above — Image: Livets Goda

Livets Goda · 28 May 2024

Halländska Blue Fields satsar på ätbara tångprodukter

Blue Fields harvests its sugar kelp 1,200 metres off Glommen harbour and takes the next step towards edible seaweed products. In Swedish.

Read the article

Freshly harvested sugar kelp lifted out of the sea off Glommen – still from SVT's clip — Photo: Ella Persson/SVT

SVT Nyheter Halland · 20 May 2024

Se första skörden av tången utanför Falkenberg: ”Det blänker”

The first sugar kelp is harvested off Glommen harbour, in a pilot that started in autumn 2023 after Blue Fields was permitted to expand its farm. In Swedish.

Watch the clip on SVT

Contact

Get in touch.

Want to rent a place in the hub as a startup, researcher or thesis student? Tell us who you are and what you need, and we will get back to you about premises and terms.

Elin Rehn

Business Developer
Falkenberg Municipality

elin.rehn@falkenberg.se

David Andersson

Project Lead, ENVOLVE 2
Falkenberg Municipality

david.andersson@falkenberg.se

Where to find us

Blue Hub HallandGlommen harbour, Falkenberg, Sweden

Financed by