National Growth Fund boosting the Dutch biotech ecosystem with 300 million Euro

On April 14, 2022, the Dutch Government announced the result of the second round of the National Growth Fund; 28 projects that contribute to structural economic growth of the Netherlands will receive significant financial support.  Planet B.io is extremely proud to be directly involved in two of the approved projects: Biotech Booster and Cellular Agriculture.

These proposals are further building on Delft’s strong history and expertise in biotechnology, both in the public and private sectors, while highlighting the importance of collaboration at national level. Granting these two programs confirms the trust that the Dutch Government has in biotechnology as a key technology to address the challenges of a growing population, in a planet and animal-friendly way.

Cellular Agriculture

The Dutch government will be earmarking € 60 million ($ 65.4 million), to support the formation of an ecosystem around cellular agriculture, which is the technology to produce animal products like milk and meat directly from cells. It represents the largest public funding into the cellular agriculture field ever, globally. The proposal for funding was made by a newly created consortium of 14 organizations (academia, NGOs, startups, industry) called Cellular Agriculture Netherlands.

For Planet B.io, the proposal creates great opportunities: “We can create an ecosystem where innovation is enabled, giving the opportunity to existing and new start-ups in cellular agriculture to scale up their technology and grow their business”, says Cindy Gerhardt, Managing Director at Planet B.io. “At the Biotech Campus Delft, we will expand the open access piloting facilities in collaboration with the BPF.  They will answer to the need of a growing number of companies active in the development of cultivated meat and precision fermentation, to develop and scale up their production process. We will also expand the lab and office space, so that start-ups and scale-ups in this growing sector can be part of a community of like-minded innovators.”

Read more about the proposal in this press release.

Biotech Booster

Growth Fund proposal Biotech Booster is granted €246 million. Biotech Booster will grow promising biotechnology opportunities - with the help of experienced top entrepreneurs, expertise and resources - into projects that form the starting point for startups or further development by existing biotechnology companies. With the investment impulse from the National Growth Fund, Biotech Booster not only increases the return on excellent scientific knowledge, but also makes a concrete contribution to social impact and biotechnological innovations that make life better.

Planet B.io and its founding partners DSM, TU Delft, Gemeente Delft, Provincie ZH, and InnovationQuarter play a role as Trusted Community for white biotechnology. The aim is to set up a pre-incubator program to strengthen the route from invention to application.

Read more about the proposal in this press release.