The research and development grant awards follow the conclusion of the second part of a funding call, Manufacturing High Value Chemicals through Industrial Biotechnology, run by the UK’s national innovation agency.

The projects will be led by Albany Molecular Research (UK) Ltd, Ensus Ltd, PML Applications Ltd and TerraVerdae Bioworks Ltd.  The total cost of the projects, including contributions from the companies, will be in the region of £3 million.

The use of industrial biotechnology offers the potential to develop new, efficient and sustainable methods of obtaining a significant proportion of our energy, chemical and material needs.  Agricultural feedstocks, novel biocatalysts and bioreactor technologies have the potential to meet a number of challenges, such as replacing existing petrochemical-derived products like lubricants and plastics or creating active pharmaceutical ingredients through novel bio-transformations.

In February the Technology Strategy Board announced that it would invest £1 million in ten feasibility studies in industrial biotechnology.