Overseas markets access

Overseas market access

We have been part of several international projects, our expertise range from project management, communication and dissemination support to accessing our research and development expertise and equipment.

Access to equipment and expertise

We are a partner in two Hydrogen BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) Innovation Programme projects which has been funded by the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) that have been awarded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The first project; Utilisation of Biorefinery Residues for Blue Hydrogen Production will look at the growing use of biofuels produced through fermentation and digesters. We will work with the other project partners to produce hydrogen through gasification of digester sludges and focus on cost effective treatment of bio-refinery waste for use as a gasifier feedstock, which will also have process efficiency benefits. The project is led by the University of Hull, other partners include Aston University, Jesmond Engineering and Teesside University.

Project management

For the second project, H2Boost we are responsible for the project management. This project aims to produce biohydrogen for the UK transport sector in an environmentally sustainable and commercially viable manner.

Communications support

We are the communication, dissemination and work package leader for AgriLoop. A €7.8 million international collaboration between 35 European and Chinese partners to push the frontier of circular agriculture by converting residues into novel economic, social and environmental opportunities for the food and farming sectors. As the UK is no longer part of the EU we have accessed the UKRI Guarantee Scheme for this project.

Previous projects

Agrimax was a five-year, €12 million EU-funded project with 29 partners which built two ground-breaking pilot plant facilities in Spain and Italy. We were the communication and dissemination partner, the project successfully demonstrated how unavoidable crop and food-processing waste can be turned into multiple, high-value bio-based products for the food-ingredients, food-packaging and farming sectors.

We were the project management partner for the Newton Babba project which brought UK and India scientists together to take a major by-product of the sugarcane industry and turn it into the valuable bio-based chemical, citric acid. This £1.8 million project, sponsored by the Newton Bhabha Fund, brought together academics along with UK and Indian companies to work in partnership to reduce industrial waste and generate innovation in industrial biotechnology. Our technical role was to bring the whole process together and test at a larger scale using our state-of-the-art facilities. The Newton-Bhabha Fund is a programme funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, both part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), as well as the Department for Biotechnology (DBT) India.

We have shown in the Newton Babba project that we can use the sugars from this waste product to produce citric acid. This versatile chemical has applications in a number of different sectors, such as food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and so on, because it’s generally regarded as safe and a material that can be eaten. Dr Deborah Rathbone, Bioscience Innovation Team Leader, BDC

Case study highlight

UK-India collaboration successfully tackles industrial waste from sugarcane processing in India

Scientists in the UK and India have successfully come together to take a major by-product of the sugarcane industry and turn it into the valuable bio-based chemical, citric acid. This £1.8 million project, sponsored by the Newton Bhabha Fund, brought together academics along with UK and Indian companies to work in partnership to reduce industrial waste and generate innovation in industrial biotechnology.

Find out more

Desk-based support

Communications advice

We work with bio-based businesses and projects to increase awareness of their products, processes or project.

Entrepreneurial skills development

If you are an entrepreneur or a start-up in the bioeconomy, we can help you develop and commercialise your product or process.

Laboratory and office access

We have state-of-the-art research and development biorefinery, pilot scale laboratory facilities and flexible office space available for hire.

Market research

We add value through market research activity, new and existing product or customer discovery research.