SINGAPORE – ScaleUp Bio, a joint venture led by nutrition and food processing corporation ADM and Temasek’s Nurasa, is planning to open two dedicated precision fermentation facilities in Singapore in 2023.
The Singapore-based precision fermentation solutions provider, wholly owned by Temasek (a global investment management company in Singapore), is a new company focused on accelerating the commercialization and adoption of sustainable food across Asia.
According to the company, since opening a pilot plant is financially out of reach for many startups as well as a limited number of food-grade laboratory facilities available, with most catering to the pharmaceutical or biofuel industries for reach, facilities such as ScaleUp’s could provide a solution.
ScaleUp Bio’s CEO, Francisco Codoñer, said: “We have designed ScaleUp Bio’s entire business model specifically to empower young companies with the facilities, capabilities, and resources they have long needed to scale and succeed in today’s marketplace”.
With our new facilities, access to top–tier talent, resources, and capital, we offer a tremendous platform for young companies seeking to springboard their products to global scale and success.”
“We understand the challenges faced by young firms seeking to navigate the complex regulations, cultures, and tastes across Asia. From here, we can offer smart market entry to fast-growing Asian populations hungry for alternative sustainable food sources from one of the world’s great innovation centers,”
The first facility will be a joint laboratory developed under a new partnership with the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), designed especially for research and development (R&D) for start-ups and emerging food tech companies.
This strategic partnership also follows the announcement made in November 2021, where the Asia Sustainable Foods Platform and A*STAR’s SIFBI committed to investing over US$30 million over the next three years in FTIC.
Through the FTIC, food-tech companies including start-ups will have access to tailored infrastructure and service offerings, namely a food-grade pilot scale facility with extrusion and fermentation equipment, shared labs, test kitchens, co-working spaces, as well as A*STAR’s deep R&D know-how.
The facility, scheduled to be operational in Q1 2023, will support up to 100 liters of fermentation and processing capacity, with testing and optimization capabilities, and will be located at Nurasa’s Food Tech Innovation Centre (FTIC), an R&D hub in central Singapore.
The second facility, serving also as ScaleUp’s headquarters, will provide access to a huge 10,000 liters of fermentation capacity and 2,300 square meters of space.
The facility will be located at LOGOS Food21, Tuas, an emerging food manufacturing zone in western Singapore.
The joint lab and new facility will provide technical development and precision fermentation for companies producing a wide variety of bio-based products, including alternative proteins, to serve growing consumer demand in Singapore and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Along with physical laboratory space, the company will provide startups with business opportunities, including access to industry experts, partner organizations, and resources from ScaleUp’s parent companies.
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