FVA New Media Research contributed to the iCULTURE Summer School “Macroalgae Biorefineries in the Circular Bioeconomy: Technologies, Innovation and Sustainability”, an international online training initiative dedicated to university students interested in the role of macroalgae within the circular bioeconomy.
The Summer School, organised by the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems Lab at the Technical University of Crete (ReSEL@TUC) within the framework of the iCULTURE project, took place online from 18 to 27 May 2026 and brought together students, researchers, academics and professionals from around the world.
As part of the programme, Valentina Vavassori, science communicator and collaborator of FVA New Media Research, delivered the lecture “Scientific communication and public speaking”, focusing on how researchers can communicate scientific results clearly, effectively and engagingly to different audiences.
Scientific communication represented an important component of the Summer School’s interdisciplinary programme. Alongside topics such as macroalgae cultivation and harvesting, biomass conversion technologies, high-value bio-based products, enzyme engineering, microbial cell factories, sustainability assessment and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the programme also explored the skills needed to communicate research and support the uptake of sustainable innovation.
Overall, the Summer School featured lectures from internationally recognised experts from academia, research and industry and attracted 181 registrations from 50 countries. The initiative primarily targeted BSc, MSc and PhD students, while also engaging researchers, academic staff and industry professionals from a broad range of disciplines. Participation remained strong throughout the programme, with a peak attendance of 86 participants during the opening session and an average of 62 participants per session.
The initiative contributed to the iCULTURE project’s capacity-building activities by combining scientific and technological knowledge with transversal skills that can help the next generation of researchers contribute to the development and dissemination of sustainable macroalgae biorefineries.
The presentation and the complete recording of Valentina Vavassori’s lecture are now freely available on the iCULTURE website, together with the presentations and recordings from the other Summer School sessions.
