BII secures €25 million in Novo Nordisk Foundation funding to target early-stage European biosolutions startups

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has committed up to €25 million to the BioInnovation Institute (BII) for its new 'Upscalator' initiative, aimed at accelerating early-stage biosolutions startups across Europe. This significant funding injection addresses a critical gap in the market by providing vital facilities, services, and expertise to help nascent companies bring their innovations to fruition and contribute to the green transition. The initiative seeks to bridge the chasm between promising platform development and the often capital-intensive upscaling phase that is crucial for market entry. This program offers substantial support, with the BII providing access to infrastructure and up to €3 million per project and €1.8 million per startup. Recent funding rounds across Europe, including €4.8 million for Finland's Avenue Biosciences in protein engineering and €6 million for Denmark's EvodiaBio in fermentation-based flavours, highlight the growing investment in precision fermentation, protein engineering, and synthetic biology. However, these investments often focus on platform development, underscoring the necessity of initiatives like Upscalator for the crucial scaling-up process. The Upscalator initiative is designed to directly impact European digital sovereignty within the biosolutions sector by fostering homegrown innovation and reducing reliance on external markets for critical technologies. By coupling funding with essential infrastructure and deep domain expertise, the BII aims to reduce development timelines by up to a year, enabling faster market entry for green technologies. This strategic push is vital as the global biosolutions market is projected to nearly double to €778 billion by 2035, creating millions of jobs and driving significant economic growth.