The research and development programme develops sustainable food-grade technologies for animal cell cultivation.

The programme focuses on developing affordable and ethical alternatives to fetal bovine serum (FBS), which remains one of the major cost and ethical challenges in animal cell cultivation.

Food-grade culture media

Circular bioeconomy

Side-stream valorisation

Digital bioprocess optimisation

The programme's core innovation lies in converting food industry side streams into high-value ingredients for the development of sustainable culture media.

By combining enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, computational modelling and advanced bioprocesses, we develop universal and cell-specific serum replacements tailored to the requirements of different cell lines.

The project brings together expertise in biotechnology, computational biology, bioprocess engineering and food technology.

Particular emphasis is placed on process automation, the development of modular production systems, and digital bioprocess twins to optimise production and ensure high product quality.

The programme will contribute to the development of sustainable and cost-effective technologies for cellular agriculture.

The developed solutions will also have broad application potential in biomedicine, biopharmaceuticals and regenerative medicine. By converting food industry side streams into high-value ingredients, the programme promotes the circular bioeconomy and contributes to the development of sustainable food systems.

Partners

Cobik
Acies Bio
Datapan
Mlinotest
Reni
Nib
Univerza na primorskem
Univerza v Mariboru

Funders