The project “Tissue scaffold from brown seaweed” received the University of Iceland’s Science and Innovation Award

The project “Tissue scaffold from brown seaweed” received the University of Iceland’s Science and Innovation Award 2026 and was also selected as the overall winner of the competition.

The project is led by Svava Kristinsdóttir, a doctoral student in bioengineering at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with Professor Sigrún Nanna Karlsdóttir and  Professor Sigurður Brynjólfsson at the department of engineering at the University of Iceland, Professor Óttar Rolfsson at the department of medicine University of Iceland, and Ólafur Eystein Sigurjónsson, professor and Dean at Reykjavik University. Ólafur Eysteinn is one of Svava’s supervisors and a specialist in tissue engineering.

The project develops sustainable tissue scaffolds from brown seaweed instead of animal tissue. Such scaffolds are used in regenerative medicine to treat chronic wounds, burns, injuries and other tissue damage, where there is a growing need for safe, affordable and sustainable solutions.

The selection committee highlighted the project’s strong scientific basis, industrial potential, societal impact and environmental value. Its novelty lies both in the use of brown algae as a new scaffold material and in a gentler acelluarization method that better preserves the raw material’s properties.

According to the committee, the project has strong practical value, with potential for further research, biotechnology and health technology development, job creation and future economic value. It is an excellent example of research-driven innovation with real-world and global impact.