Innovation Awards Roullier 2025-2026
Sea to Farm: Marine resources as sustainable and virtuous alternatives for agriculture
Sea to Farm: Marine resources as sustainable and virtuous alternatives for agriculture
Innovation Awards Roullier
Founded in 1959 on the coast of Brittany (France), which is world renowned for its marine biodiversity, Groupe Roullier was born out of the optimisation of maërl potential in agriculture through the creation of a unique industrial grinding process.
This visionary intuition of marine biodiversity as a vast field of scientific exploration applicable to agriculture remains deeply rooted in the Group’s research. It inspired the theme of this new edition of the Innovation Awards Roullier (IAR), which promotes blue economy projects, from sea to farm:
- New species and bioactive functions
- Valorisation of marine co-products
- The ocean as a source of technological inspiration (new processes, biomimicry)
The awards and their prizes
Find out more about the awards and the support provided to winning projects.
Award
Exploration
Have you developed a novel concept that needs further R&D efforts?
Let’s explore the possibilities together!
The Exploration Award aims to support research and development projects. It will enable consolidation and testing of innovative concepts, revealing their potential through collaboration.
Your project
- Fits into the theme of marine resources for agriculture
- Proposes an emerging concept to be explored through research
- Has a TRL (Technology Readiness Level) between 1 and 4
Reward
Research collaboration contract with Groupe Roullier worth €100,000 to €300,000
Award
Scale up
Are you putting forward a solution that already has a proof of concept (POC) and now needs scaling up?
Then the Scale up Award is for you!
Targeted at solutions already structured and validated at lab scale, this prize provides practical support for strengthening, maturing or scaling the solution to market.
Your project
- Fits into the theme of marine resources for agriculture
- Provides an established proof of concept (PoC) giving insight into its deployment
- Has a TRL (Technology Readiness Level) between 5 and 8
Reward
Project acceleration with Groupe Roullier and €50,000 in financial support
Award
Young Talent
Are you a student with a disruptive idea?
Our experts would be delighted to support your project!
Open to students of all levels, including PhDs. This award offers tailored support to enrich the winner’s journey and open up new opportunities through tailored support.
Your project
- Fits into the theme of marine resources for agriculture
- Is linked to your enrolment in an educational institution or university
- Project may be at any TRL level
Reward
Mentoring by a Groupe Roullier expert and a €10,000 grant
Calendar
Key dates and deadlines.
25 June
2025Applications open
Complete your application documentation now to take part in the IAR 2025-2026!
15 Sept.
2025Applications close
Apply by September to be eligible for one of the three awards.
Oct. Nov.
2025Initial selection by our business units
Short-listing by Groupe Roullier business units in seven countries: Brazil, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, USA.
Dec. Jan.
2025 – 2026Selection by the judges
Selection of the 9 finalists (3 per award) by a panel of Groupe Roullier experts and external specialists.
Jan.
2026Finalists announced
The nine finalists (three per award) will be notified and invited to present their project at the final conference in Saint-Malo.
Q2
2026Final conference in Saint-Malo (France)
Ceremony including presentation of the projects in pitch format, followed by the final deliberation by the judges and announcement of the IAR 2025-2026 winners.
Selection criterias
Each application form will be assessed according to four dimensions of appreciation:
Rules
View all details related to this edition of the competition!
FAQ – The 2025-2026 edition
Everything you need to know about the Innovation Awards Roullier.
“Sea to Farm” refers to approaches that leverage marine-based or marine-inspired resources and methods to address agricultural challenges (animal/plant nutrition, processes, etc.). Your project must align with this approach while delivering an innovative solution linked to the marine environment.
Your project must be sufficiently structured to be assessed according to the selection criteria. All TRL levels are eligible except TRL 9. Please refer to the description of each award for more information.
Three prizes are awarded, each accompanied by a financial grant and tailored support from
Groupe Roullier, in line with each winner’s priorities. In addition, all winners benefit from exposure through Groupe Roullier’s media channels (external visibility) and from introductions to our subsidiaries (internal visibility).
Any more questions? Visit our Contact and FAQ page
Want to innovate with us?
Download and complete the application form for the Innovation Awards Roullier (IAR).
What is a research collaboration contract?
A research collaboration contract aims to govern a joint research project between at least two partners, with a view to producing shared results from their respective contributions.
Depending on the winner’s priorities, this collaboration can enable:
- Exploratory research, proof-of-concept prototypes, lab or pilot plant tests
- Access to the expertise of our teams and equipment at the Groupe Roullier CMI (Centre Mondial de l’Innovation)
What type of support does an acceleration include?
Depending on the winner’s priorities, this acceleration can take the form of:
- Mentorship: support from Groupe Roullier experts to mature your solution.
- Technical incubation: access to companies and equipment of the Groupe Roullier CMI (Centre Mondial de l’Innovation) to develop and test your solutions.
- Visibility and market access: facilitating evaluations and trials through Groupe Roullier’s network.
In addition to this support, the winner will also receive €50,000 in funding to help accelerate their project.
How can the grant be used?
The grant supports one or several actions to facilitate the winner’s journey, with guidance from a
Groupe Roullier mentor to help them prioritise their choices:
- Conferences: Participation in national/international conferences
- Training: Skills training or specialization
- Stay at the CMI: Immersion at the Innovation Centre for a set period
- Equipment: Purchase of equipment (computers, lab tools, etc.)
- Open option: The winner can suggest any custom proposal, subject to mentor approval
TRL between 1 and 4
Basic principles observed or described
Technology concept and/or application formulated
Experimental proof of principal functions
Validation of lab-scale components or models
TRL between 5 and 8
Validation of models and/or components in a representative environment
Demonstration of a prototype in a representative environment
Experimental proof of the main functions of the concept
Demonstration of a prototype in an operational environment