The French Embassy and INTEC conclude the ResAgroSargasso project.

This initiative, promoted by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, identified sustainable solutions for the use of sargassum, improved agricultural waste management, and fostered cooperation between France, including its overseas territories in the Caribbean, and the Dominican Republic.

SANTO DOMINGO. -  La French Embassy in the Dominican Republic y el Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) successfully concluded the ResAgroSargazo project, an initiative that identified sustainable solutions for the use of sargassum, improved agricultural waste management, and fostered cooperation between France, including its overseas territories in the Caribbean, and the Dominican Republic.

Under the approval and Funding from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and coordination of the research professor from INTEC Ulises Jauregui-Haza, ResAgroSargazo It began in 2024 and as a result of this collaboration, exchanges have been developed between Dominican and French universities, including those in the French-speaking Caribbean, with various companies on the management of agricultural waste and sargassum.

Over the past few months, this cooperation has enabled the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices, engaging stakeholders from various sectors with a comprehensive approach to sustainability and environmental resilience. Among these initiatives, stakeholders in the country's tourism and agriculture sectors were trained and new research projects were promoted through quadruple helix partnerships, an innovation model that involves industry, government, academia, and civil society.

During the closing ceremony, the acting rector alliet ortega He highlighted the importance of alliances, a legacy of former rector Julio Sánchez Maríñez, who passed away last May.

“Today's conference and the ResAgroSargazo project, "The university, which encompasses it, is a concrete expression of that strategic vision. A university open to the world, connected to its surroundings, capable of generating relevant and sustainable solutions. Both for the Dominican Republic and for the entire Caribbean region. And I know that this is also an initiative and a strategy of our ally, France," he said.

After paying tribute to Sánchez Maríñez in his speech, Sonia Barbry, French ambassador In the country, he praised the ties built within the framework of the project between both countries and mentioned the achievements made through this collaboration, in light of the massive arrivals of sargassum, which reached 28 million tons in circulation in the Atlantic this spring.

"For the marine populations and ecosystems of the Caribbean, it has serious consequences in terms of health, the environment, and the economy. France has been directly affected by this phenomenon in the French Antilles since 2011, and the ResAgroSargasso project is a small part of the effort that our country does about this problem,” he said.

Brigitte Veyne, Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Action at the French Embassy, ​​and coordinator of the project at the Embassy, ​​thanked all the collaborators of the project, both those from the Dominican Republic and those from France, and announced that both countries will meet again at the intergovernmental meeting of the convention. Carthage in October; at the third High-Level Conference on Sargassum Valorization, organized by the European Union, where projects carried out with Mexico and the Dominican Republic will be presented; as well as at the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)).

On the other hand, José Ramón Reyes, Deputy Minister of Marine Coastal Resources of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, considered the project to be evidence of how knowledge, innovation, and commitment come together to generate real and sustainable solutions.

As part of the program, Yvette Smith, INTEC professor and project collaborator, presented the proceedings of the Conference “Valorization of agricultural waste and sargassum”, A publication that compiles summaries of their work, testimonies, discussions, exchanges, and technical visits made by participants to institutions in Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Punta Cana. "We hope these reports will serve as a reference document and basis for future collaborations between France and the Dominican Republic on the sustainable management of these resources," Smith commented.

At the same time, the documentary "Entre el mar y la costa" premiered. It was produced by Film and Audiovisual Communication students as part of the Documentary Film course taught by Rafael Lacau. "The sargassum is showing us that change is happening, and we can't pretend we don't see it," was one of the remarks made by Anne Medrano, the director and main character in the documentary.

Ulises Jauregui-Haza, INTEC research professor and project coordinator, presented the results achieved during the project's execution. Additionally, Charlotte Gully, coordinator of the circular economy unit of the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), presented the perspectives collaboration on the sargassum issue, Among them are technologies for the collection, storage, pretreatment and recovery of sargassum.

Achievements achieved through the ResAgro-Sargasso project

Jauregui-Haza indicated that the result of the project ResAgroSargasso a conference was held During this meeting, best practices and experiences in agricultural waste and sargassum management were shared. A working mission of specialists from France and Guadeloupe to the Dominican Republic was also carried out to identify opportunities for cooperation and investment in the project.

In November 2024, specialists from the country collaborating on the project visited Guadeloupe and Martinique on a working mission to learn how institutions address the management of agricultural waste and sargassum. The mission continued in March and April to France.

Also, a diploma in sargassum management in the tourism sector was held according to the principles of the blue and circular economy, sponsored by the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES).

During the Workshop on the valorization of agricultural waste for the agricultural sector according to the principles of the circular economy, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the French Embassy, ​​the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other key institutions in sustainable development and the circular economy.

Jauregui-Haza, project coordinator, also participated in the launch of the second stage of the Caribbean Sargassum Program (SARG'COOP II), made on the island of Guadalupe y at the One Ocean Science Conference, which took place from June 3 to 6, just before the 2025 United Nations Conference on the Ocean in which Isabelle Polaert, representative of INSA-Rouen, presented the project.

ResAgroSargazo has led to the creation of multiple new Franco-Dominican cooperation projects. Among them, INTEC and the French ecological transition agency ADEME will coordinate one of the SARGCOOP2 programs, funded by the European Union through INTERREG and managed by the Guadeloupe Region. INTEC and the University of the Antilles are also working together on the INTERREG, SARGGOOD2, and ADAPT&REACT projects. Franco-Dominican teams have also applied for other national, French, and European research calls and are awaiting funding.

INTEC has also signed collaboration agreements with the University of the Antilles and the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse.

Among the companies and organizations involved in the project were the Puntacana Group Foundation; AlgeaNova; SOS-Carbón; the Ministry of Agriculture; BANELINO; and HOLDEX of Martinique. Also present at the closing ceremony were Melvin Asin, Director of Cooperation for the European Union Delegation to the Dominican Republic, and David Puig, Dominican Republic Ambassador to France, who also attended remotely.