The BLUES consortium reunites in Iceland
While we enjoyed our kick-off meeting in the Netherlands at the beginning of this year, we couldn't have been more excited for our second planned face-to-face meeting. The reason? We were about to have this reunion in Iceland - undoubtedly, one of the most interesting countries on the continent, with a nature so stunning it inspired many eerie folktales and legends. It was our partner Matís who kindly offered to host us while we went over our tasks, the first steps we did towards the project objectives, and what is to be expected next.
On the morning of Tuesday, 10 September, we gathered at the Matís headquarters in Reykjavik and spent some moments catching up while sipping on warm drinks, before starting the official discussions. Our coordinator, René H. Wijffels, held the welcome speech, and then each Work Package in the project had the chance to present what they are focusing on to the rest of the audience, from primary cultures and cell lines to industrial bioprocessing. It was great to see that all of the partners have been exceptionally efficient in setting the stage for the years to come: they bought the necessary equipment, conducted literature reviews, and kicked off some preliminary research (e.g. collecting cells, extracting compounds). The partners' dedication is only doubled by their passion for driving innovation in marine biotechnology and their willingness to share their knowledge and experiences with their peers (as evident by the very animated discussions in the room, which then moved on to the dining table as we had our project dinner together).
The meeting resumed the following day and we spent our morning outlining the priorities for the upcoming months, reflecting on potential challenges (and ways to combat them), and sharing our thoughts on the ways to improve our collaboration. We were then given a tour of Matís and our colleagues explained their innovations in the food industry in Iceland and beyond, leveraging the power of biotechnology to produce superfoods in a sustainable way, from the (highly popular) collagen drinks to fish oil, beer mustard, and many other products.The Matís HQ include, among others, an experimental kitchen, a lab where they conduct nutritional analysis, and a PCR room that is shared among their experts on biotech, microbiology, and genetics.
And no trip to Iceland would be complete without witnessing the country's truly breathtaking scenery, which is why we ended our meeting with a roadtrip to the famous Golden Circle - and not even the merciless wind could stop us from being in awe of the island's nature and beauty.
All in all, it was a super productive meeting and we are already looking forward to our next one, which will take place in February next year! Stay tuned...