The Netherlands is strengthening its position as a global leader in cellular agriculture with the launch of two independent, open-access scale-up facilities. These facilities, developed in a collaboration between NIZO Food Research, Cultivate at Scale (CaS), Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation (CAN), Biotechnology Fermentation Factory Ede (BFF), Mosa Meat, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) and the Dutch government’s National Growth Fund (NGF), mark a significant milestone in the development of sustainable food production.
Cellular agriculture offers a promising path towards a more resilient and diverse food system. By producing meat, dairy and other animal products directly from cells, this technology can significantly reduce the environmental impact associated with industrialised food production, while also enhancing food security and health. To support the growth of this upcoming industry, these new advanced facilities will provide companies working in cell culture and precision fermentation with the essential infrastructure to scale up their R&D and production processes. By removing the need for companies to invest in costly, pilot-scale production infrastructure, they will drive innovation and accelerate the commercialization of cellular agriculture ingredients and products.
BFF-NIZO: Unlocking the Power of Precision Fermentation
The scale-up facility focused on precision fermentation Biotechnology Fermentation Factory Ede is set up in partnership with NIZO and is welcoming new customers. The facility offers direct connection to the existing NIZO food grade DSP pilot plant and food application research. The collaboration is built on NIZO’s strong experience and extensive analytical, regulatory, and commercialization services, and enables fast product and process development, product optimization, and seamless scaling. In addition to the financial support of the Dutch government, NIZO boosts the scaling success of precision fermentation through a five-million-euro co-financing commitment and Oost NL as fund manager of Perspectieffonds Gelderland B.V. will make a loan available to BFF.
Nikolaas Vles, CEO NIZO – “We are incredibly excited about the establishment of this new scale-up facility at the NIZO site. Our combined food-grade upstream and downstream pilot facilities, state-of- the-art laboratories and scaling infrastructure, offer unparalleled opportunities to accelerate the protein transition and realize our ambitions for better food and health.”
About NIZO Food Research
NIZO is a globally leading, private, and independent contract research organization specializing in food and health innovation for over 75 years. Operating the largest open access food-grade pilot plant in Europe, NIZO leverages the integrated power of science and technology to help customers in transforming food and nutrition more successfully, sustainably and faster; ultimately leading to better food and health.
About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor managing over €2.6 billion across two fund strategies: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The Venture&Growth fund of Gilde Healthcare invests in fast growing companies active in digital health, medtech and therapeutics, based in Europe and North America. The Private Equity fund of Gilde Healthcare participates in profitable lower mid-market healthcare companies based in North-Western Europe. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.gildehealthcare.com.
