Recently, a group of 05 students named AlgaeVi team from Faculty of Biology-Environmental Science, The University of Danang – University of Education (UD-UED) with the support of Dr. Trinh Dang Mau and former student Le Van Kiem, had a start-up project to cultivate Spirulina algae with initially successful incubation at Da Nang Hi-Tech Park.

AlgaeVi team, Faculty of Biology-Environmental Science, UD-UED

Starting from the methodical research works and applications at UD-UED's Microalgae Technology Research office, the AlgaeVi team had initially succeeded in applying, transferring technology and bringing commercial products to the market.

Thanks to the research process with high scientific reliability, the project "Development of high-tech application model and creating value added products from Spirulina biomass" (Dr. Trinh Dang Mau and former student Le Van Kiem were co-authors of the project) had achieved important initial achievements in the creative-start-up journey.

The products were researched and produced according to clean and natural technology

According to Dr. Trinh Dang Mau, the first step - a very important one - was the study and application of molecular biology to select and domesticate varieties, so that the algae could adapt well to control and be proactive in seed production process.

The project was developed basing on the scientific and methodical research results

According to former student Le Van Kiem, stemming from the actual demand, the consumer market for Vietnamese Spirulina products had great value and potential, but there was no stable seed source as well as the production and processing technology were still simple.

In fact, algae farming units often used fixed tanks with the high investment and operating costs, while the growth rate was quite limited.

The AlgaeVi team had researched and replaced the fixed tank with the algae model in bag and the monitoring sensor equipment that cost only about 20-25% compared to the tank technology but the growth rate was twice higher.

Spirulina supplement is rich in nutrients, meeting the market demand

In order to ensure a clean and closed production environment as well as achieve productivity and quality according to the process, the team had designed drawings, successfully installed and tested the algae growth measuring devices, the algae collecting/ washing that were hardly available on the market.

The products attracted the attention of consumers at Techfest Quang Nam-2021

From natural materials of Vietnamese Spirulina, AlgaeVi team had launched many useful products to meet market needs such as: Algae powder, algae nuggets, algae biscuits, algae tea ... to help supplement protein, acid amines and necessary minerals for the body

The Journey of start-up from laboratory to practice

Thanks to the initial success, the AlgaeVi team officially participated in the High-Tech Park to become a science and technology enterprise with a start-up project of high-tech algae production, creating a lot of opportunities to connect with research units, domestic and international enterprises.

The AlgaeVi's success showed the effectiveness of linking research, application and practice

In the upcoming time, the team’s goal was to continue improving models, technologies and products, established a chain of production systems, supplied Spirulina materials and Spirulina products to adapt domestic and international market demands; continued to develop and research other valuable algae such as red blood algae, firefly algae, or other seaweeds... aiming at not only food products but also pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or other pure secondary compounds, said former student Le Van Kiem.