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Biotech Open Platform (BIOP) has inaugurated a new industrial biotechnology platform in Clermont-Ferrand, France, following an initial investment of more than €20 million.
Created in 2024 by Danone, Michelin, DMC Biotechnologies, Crédit Agricole Centre France, Clermont Auvergne Innovation and Greentech, the platform is designed to help companies bridge the gap between laboratory-scale biotechnology development and industrial production.
The 5,000m² facility, located at Michelin’s Innovation Park – Cataroux, has begun welcoming its first advanced fermentation projects.
BIOP provides start-ups, industrial companies and research organisations with facilities to develop, optimise, scale and validate fermentation-based processes under conditions representative of industrial production.
Its capabilities include an integrated fermentation line with capacity of up to 15m³, alongside semi-industrial purification systems. The platform said such infrastructure remains relatively limited in Europe.
The facility can support scale-up from 10 grams to one tonne of ingredients, enabling companies to produce sufficient volumes for application testing and validation before commercial production.
Advanced fermentation technologies, including precision fermentation, use microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria, microalgae and fungi to produce targeted molecules.
According to BIOP, these processes can be used to produce proteins, enzymes and food ingredients, alongside applications in cosmetics, agriculture, chemicals and biomaterials.
The platform is intended to support companies developing products and processes based on renewable resources, with the partners positioning industrial biotechnology as a potential route to developing new value chains while reducing reliance on certain fossil-based resources.
Danone is among the platform's founding partners, with the food and beverage company highlighting its longstanding use of fermentation in food production.
Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of Danone, said the platform strengthens a “critical link” in Europe’s biotechnology ecosystem by helping accelerate the industrial scale-up of laboratory innovations.
“Biotech Open Platform demonstrates the value of shared infrastructure and long-term partnerships in enhancing European competitiveness,” he added.
BIOP said its open model is designed to make industrial-scale fermentation infrastructure and expertise available beyond its founding companies.
The platform has dedicated teams and infrastructure to maintain project confidentiality and protect intellectual property, while supporting projects through process development, testing and validation.
Khadidja Romari, CEO of Biotech Open Platform, said: “Scale-up requires experience, technical know-how and the ability to solve the issues that appear as the process moves from one scale to another. Confidentiality and protection of intellectual property are also essential for the companies we work with.”
BIOP currently employs 16 people and has received support from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, managed by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, as well as Clermont Auvergne Métropole.
The partners said the platform is intended to strengthen European industrial capabilities and support the development of biotechnology-based value chains using renewable resources.
