BELGIUM – Biotalys, a Belgian food and crop protection company, has received a €1.6 million research grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) to accelerate development of the company’s proprietary platform of protein-based biocontrols.
The grant will run over three years and will support Biotalys research for the development of cost-efficient microbial cell factories for the industrial production of Biotalys’ unique new generation protein-based biocontrol solutions.
Hilde Revets, CSO of Biotalys, explained that the funding will allow the company to build a proprietary, state-of-the art toolbox of microbial production systems, specifically designed to achieve high protein production levels, a critical component of Biotalys’ R&D engine.
“There is a growing demand for safe, effective and price-compatible biocontrols, and establishing such a high-performance production platform uniquely positions Biotalys to address this need. We would like to thank VLAIO for its continued commitment to support entrepreneurship and innovation in Belgium,” Revets said.
“We are pleased that VLAIO recognizes our breakthrough science to discover and develop safe and sustainable protein-based biocontrols with consistent high efficacy, aimed at helping farmers to protect yields and reduce food waste,” commented Patrice Sellès, CEO of Biotalys.
“This grant will allow us to further develop a powerful and cost effective production platform, a critical step for Biotalys towards shaping the future of sustainable and safe food supply.”
Biotalys is a rapidly growing and transformative food and crop protection company developing a new generation of protein-based biocontrol solutions, shaping the future of sustainable and safe food supply.
Based on its groundbreaking technology platform, Biotalys has developed a broad pipeline of effective and safe products that address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate.
The company combines the high-performance characteristics and consistency of its chemicals with the clean safety profile of biologicals to provide ideal crop protection agents for both pre- and post-harvest applications.
One of Biotalys’ products, BioFun-1, has demonstrated consistent, high efficacy against major pests, such as Botrytis cinerea and powdery mildew, in a global fruit and vegetables field trial. The company says that it is on track to submit the registration dossiers later in 2020 and expects to launch BioFun-1 in the US in 2022, followed by global market introductions.
The Ghent, Belgium-based company was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has raised €61 million (US$$66 million) to date from specialist international investors.
In March this year, the startup closed its second Series C financing round with €10 million, bringing the total amount of capital raised through its Series C to €45 million.
