AquaBioNets International Summer School on Sustainable Aquaculture

The Interreg Euro-MED project AquaBioNets is organising the International Summer School on Sustainable Aquaculture, taking place from 6 to 8 October 2026 at Porto Conte Ricerche, a research centre located in Tramariglio, near Alghero, Sardinia, Italy.

The event will bring together stakeholders from the aquaculture sector to exchange knowledge, discuss current challenges and explore sustainable solutions for the future of aquaculture.

Who is it for?

The Summer School is intended for:

• SMEs, producers and other aquaculture industry actors;
• researchers and academic institutions;
• public authorities and policymakers;
• civil society organisations;
• associations and stakeholder networks;
• other actors interested in sustainable aquaculture and the blue economy.

While summer schools are often linked to academic and training contexts, this event is designed as a multi-stakeholder event, with a strong focus on connecting industry and academia.

Main topics

The programme covers a broad range of topics related to sustainable aquaculture. It brings together research, practical experience and stakeholder perspectives, including:

• biodegradable and sustainable materials for aquaculture nets, including material selection, laboratory testing and degradation;
• sustainable alternatives to conventional fishing and aquaculture gear, including testing under real aquaculture conditions;
• microplastics, marine pollution, fish welfare and environmental impacts of aquaculture activities;
• digital innovation, Earth observation and governance for more sustainable aquaculture systems;
• climate change, carrying capacity and site selection in marine aquaculture;
• circular and resilient aquaculture approaches, including alternative feed solutions and the use of probiotic microorganisms;
• biosecurity and environmental risks, including bio-invasions and toxicological impacts in aquaculture systems;
• cooperation between research, industry and other stakeholders, including Living Lab approaches, stakeholder needs and pathways towards wider uptake of sustainable solutions.

Agenda for Day 1 and Day 3

AquaBioNets partners, led by the ISS host Porto Conte Ricerche (PCR), have prepared a three-day programme combining thematic presentations, practical activities, networking and project work.

📅 Day 1 (6 October)

Day 1 will feature 11 presentations. They will address key scientific, environmental and practical challenges related to sustainable aquaculture. The programme will include contributions from AquaBioNets partners, aquaculture practitioners, researchers and representatives of other relevant initiatives. The day will conclude with an interactive Living Lab in Practice session involving all participants.

Day 1 will take place in a hybrid format. A limited number of participants will join us in person in Tramariglio. At the same time, speakers will contribute both in person and online. The presentations will also be live streamed on the official AquaBioNets YouTube channel. This will allow a much wider audience to follow the event remotely. We will publish the livestream link on this event page and through our communication channels before the event.

📅 Day 2 (7 October)

Day 2 is reserved for in-person participants and will take us outside the conference room. Participants will visit local aquaculture facilities and see aquaculture operations first-hand. There, they will discuss practical challenges with sector representatives and connect the topics from Day 1 with real-life aquaculture practice.

📅 Day 3 (8 October)

Day 3 will be even busier than originally planned. 🙂 Three parallel activities will take place at the same time.

From 9:30 to 11:45, in-person participants can join the Poster Session and PCR Laboratory Tour. The poster session will provide space for informal discussion, exchange and networking with exhibitors. Meanwhile, AquaBioNets project partners will hold their Technical and Steering Committee Meeting.

At the same time, our online audience can join a second round of thematic presentations via Microsoft Teams. The session will run from 9:45 to 11:45. Participants can join directly through the Teams link provided below.

Microsoft Teams link for 8 October, 9:45 – 11:45 CET. 

Eight speakers from Italy, Algeria, Estonia, Mexico, India, Egypt and Morocco will contribute to this session. Their presentations will cover plastic degradation, digital innovation, circular aquaculture, fish welfare and environmental risks.

At 11:45, all in-person activities will come together in the Nettuno Room for the official closing of the AquaBioNets International Summer School on Sustainable Aquaculture. 

Full programmes:
👉 Day 1 – 6 October agenda
👉 Day 3 – 8 October agenda

Joining us online

As the venue has limited capacity, we are unfortunately unable to welcome everyone interested in attending the Summer School in person. However, we want our online audience to feel as connected to the event as possible. In addition to the livestream, we are preparing interactive elements for online participants, so that those joining remotely can engage with the programme and feel part of the discussion rather than simply watching from a distance.

The livestream will be available through the official AquaBioNets YouTube channel. Links and practical instructions will be published here before the event.

Stay tuned

The AquaBioNets and Porto Conte Ricerche teams are working intensively to prepare all the final organisational and technical details for the Summer School.

We greatly appreciate your interest, patience and understanding while the final preparations are underway.

Please keep following the AquaBioNets website, this event page and our LinkedIn profile, where we will share livestream links and all other important practical information.

We look forward to welcoming you – in Alghero or online – from 6 to 8 October!