Urgent EU biotech scale-up needed – EFIB
Expanding fermentation and bio-refinery capacities in Europe is flagged as being a critical biotechnological pathway for the decarbonisation of several industrial sectors such as AgBio, food, feed and industrial chemicals production, speakers at the 2023 European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology (EFIB) in Rotterdam said.
Meeting these immense challenges requires an increase in European fermentation capacity to meet the crucial global CO2 reductions targets and a reduced reliance on cheap and plentiful fossil products, such as chemicals and plastics.
The EFIB Rotterdam Statement 2023 stressed that biotechnology is one of the four critical technologies for European competitiveness in the global arena.
Global biotechnology race

EuropaBio Director General, Claire Skentelbery, delivering the EFIB Rotterdam Statement 2023. (c) EuropaBio.
“A global technology race is underway in the industrial biotechnology sector. The winners will lead global manufacturing and trade in several sectors. Their economies will be more competitive, sustainable and resilient. By reducing their dependency on non-renewable resources and harnessing a broader range of food and feed production technologies, they will strengthen their strategic autonomy and food security,” the statement said.
European investment in innovation and bio-manufacturing is vital for these aims which relies on good regulation to enable growth across many biotechnology sectors. Faster, transparent and clearer European regulatory decisions and signals are required to make bio-manufacturing and biotechnology scale-up more attractive to investors.
Stable regulation for investors, society

The final panel. (c) EuropaBio.
Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) Director, Human Capital and Stakeholder Relations, Nelo Emerencia, said that effective regulation would mean a Europe-wide adoption of laws that would support a guarantee of investment over a longer period of time. That way, the investments work for industry and society.
In the final panel discussion, pictured above, Jeroen Hofenk from Swift Pharma (below) said: “We need manufacturing at scale for regions in the regions, and an effective regulatory framework that enables the growth that is needed to fulfill the 10 billion litres of bio-reactor capacity that is anticipated for 2030”.

Jeroen Hofenk from Swift Pharma. (c) EuropaBio.
Fellow final panelist, Hans Ole Klingenberg, from Novozymes said: “If you send clear signals to industry, they will invest”.
Biotech, science moving at rapid speed – CBE JU
Executive Director ad interim, Circular Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore (below), said that “science and the biotechnology environment is moving extremely fast, so it’s imperative to be able to anticipate the challenges and the needed solutions in these sectors”.

(r-l) Executive Director ad interim, Circular Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore, pictured with Hidde Boersma, RePlanet and Jeroen Hofenk from Swift Pharma (c) EuropaBio.
The CBE JU has funded many initiatives under the European Commission Horizon programmes. The funding body stresses the importance of the bio-economy, flagship bio-refinery projects and regional jobs.
CBE JU investment in biotechnology
The CBE JU invested, under Horizon 2020 funding, in a joint public/private investment with SUSFERT partner, Acies Bio. AciesBio added a 6.5 cubic metre fermenter to increase its bio-process capacity to efficiently scale-up and produce siderophore during the initial production stage of SUSFERT fertiliser project. The fermenter also allowed the company to scale, demonstrate, and produce products for bio-based agriculture and food chains.
SUSFERT partner and Acies Bio Business Development Head, Martin Kavšček, said that multiple industries need to be targeted to make a difference to the bio-refinery requirements for the future.
“For a global impact, a significant expansion in fermentation capacity is crucial. Furthermore, designing efficient microbial strains and processes is critical to smart route manufacturing. It’s not enough to have sustainable products; they must also be cost-competitive to drive change truly,” Kavšček said.
Up-cycling by-products to co-products
SUSFERT partner and AGRANA Key Account Manager Co-Products, Rüdiger Weichesmüller, said that he was pleased that his company is fully on-track to meet the up-cycling topic of every product stream at the company’s plant in Pischelsdorf near Vienna, Austria.
Weichesmüller is responsible for the sale of BioAgenasol, a 100 per cent plant-based fertiliser that is derived from the AGRANA bio-ethanol plant. BioAgenasol has been participating in the SUSFERT field trials for its ability to deliver iron to plants.
“BioAgenasol is the best example of giving additional value to a sidestream,” he said.
Proteins, amino acids, chemical building blocks for food
Agrana Research and Innovation Center (ARIC) Head of Department, Fruit Technology and Life Sciences, and SUSFERT partner, Dr Markus Oman, said that the focus in biotechnology will be on converting feedstocks into essential and everyday products.
“We need to focus on converting sidestreams coming from agricultural processes, such as starch and sugar beet into proteins, amino acids and chemical building blocks.
“Protein enrichment is used in food preparations and to reduce sugar in products targeted at obesity reduction. Chemical building blocks would be used in bioplastics, for example. The list is endless,” he said.
Europa Bio Director General, Dr Claire Skentelbery, stressed the need for an increase in communication and awareness regarding biotechnology, its uses and the ways in which it will solve the pressing challenges of this century. That is why the Rotterdam statement clearly defines how biotechnology is used across sectors.
“Industrial biotechnology uses enzymes, micro-organisms and living cells to make biobased products from renewable raw materials. This is a key enabler of the EU’s transition from a fossil-based economy to a green and competitive bioeconomy in multiple sectors, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and feed, fragrances, detergents, paper and pulp, textiles and bioenergy,” the statement stressed.

The EFIB 2023 event brings together funding bodies, policy makers, the biotech industry and SMEs in essential discussions. Pictured is Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, Head of Programme Unit, Virginia Puzzolo (c), RTDS Group CEO, Stephen Webb (l), and Wim Haentjens, Policy Officer, European Commission DG Research (r). (c) RTDS Group.
The projects
Horizon 2020/CBE-funded SUSFERT and BIOVEXO projects attended the EFIB’23 Congress with some of its partners. Both projects picked up awards in the CBE photo impact competition.

CBE JU Digital Communications Coordinator, Albert Sánchez Carmona, interviewing RTDS Senior Manager and SUSFERT Project Manager, Mikael Muegge, and AGRANA Key Account Manager Co-Products, Rüdiger Weichesmüller. (c) RTDS Group.
SUSFERT has developed prototype fertilisers which are currently under evaluation for possible agricultural use. The innovative fertilisers combine bio-based and biodegradable coatings for controlled release, probiotics to increase nutrient availability, the renewable phosphorous source struvite, and micro-organisms in siderophore, as an iron carrier. SUSFERT has demonstrated its fertiliser’s efficacy for major crops and is helping its partners prepare for possible market entry.
The BIOVEXO Project is working on developing innovative biopesticides to combat Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterial plant pathogen which is transmitted by pests, more specifically xylem fluid-feeding insects and has caused devastation to olive and almond orchards in the Mediterranean region.
The BIOVEXO Project aims to produce, test, and scale its innovative biopesticides, bringing them to a TRL 7-8 (close to market entry) for use in organic and non-organic production systems.

SUSFERT team. L-r: Researcher at Agrana Research and Innovation Center (ARIC), Lukas Prantner; ARIC Head of Department, Fruit Technology and Life Sciences, Dr Markus Omann; and AGRANA Key Account Manager Co-Products, Rüdiger Weichesmüller, in discussion with SUSFERT Project Manager, Mikael Muegge. (c) EuropaBio.