Biotalys awarded €1.6 million VLAIO research grant
Funding will enable accelerated development of a proprietary platform for the industrial production of Biotalys’ protein-based biocontrols.
Biotalys NV, a transformative food and crop protection company, today announced that it has been rewarded a €1.6 million research grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). The grant will run over three years and will support the accelerated 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, commented, “The funding will allow us 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.”
Patrice Sellès, CEO of Biotalys, commented, “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. 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.”
About Biotalys
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. Combining the high-performance characteristics and consistency of chemicals with the clean safety profile of biologicals, Biotalys provides ideal crop protection agents for both pre- and post-harvest applications. Biotalys’ lead biofungicide, 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 is on track to submit the registration dossiers later in 2020 and expects to launch BioFun-1 in the U.S. in 2022, followed by global market introductions. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has raised €61 million ($66m USD) to date from specialist international investors. The Company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.