The Biotech Hub at Evonik brings together four decades of innovative research in biotechnology through an international network of experts. It plays a crucial role in driving the company’s commitment to sustainability and growth across a number of industries – including biomaterials, cosmetics, advanced food ingredients, and pharmaceuticals. In this article, Ronald Mathae, Senior Global Project Manager in Biotechnology at Evonik, explains what the Biotech Hub is and how we can support customers with their fermentation needs.   

Introducing Evonik’s Biotech Hub 

Evonik’s Biotech Hub, located in Germany, is a biotech development center comprised of about 160 employees that provides a comprehensive range of services that can support the fermentation process from the idea stage to commercialization. By focusing on market and customer needs, we ensure a tailored approach to strain and process development.  

Comprehensive services for bioprocess development 

A diverse range of services are offered by the Biotech Hub. Whether you require bioinformatics for designing metabolic pathways and strain development, or fermentation and downstream processing (DSP) process development, we have the necessary expertise and resources to support you. We can also support you with process and metabolic modelling and scale-up. Our data-driven, self-learning modelling can provide feasibility or a wet lab feasibility as part of a comprehensive techno-economic analysis. We can even combine these services to create a tailored solution that meets your specific requirements, no matter where you are in your development process.  

A systems approach to strain development 

Our methodology to strain development involves a holistic systems approach, considering all aspects such as strain characteristics, production constraints, quality, scalability, and more. We have a systems understanding of the ideal host organism for the desired product of interest. This is key to designing a viable and sustainable bioprocess.  

Enhancing bioprocesses from concept to commercialization 

Evonik’s capabilities in upstream and downstream processing contribute to our growth strategy. We provide benefits throughout all bioprocess phases, including proof of concept, IP protection, techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessments and process design data. This integrated approach supports product launches, facilitates scale up and reduces time to market, giving our customers a competitive advantage.  Leveraging  Evonik’s extensive engineering experience, we can also facilitate the realization of brownfield or greenfield production sites if your volume demands exceed our current capabilities. 

Versatility in fermentation and product classes 

The Biotech Hub has competencies with fermenting a variety of product classes, including simple molecules such as amino acids and derivatives, lipids and fatty acid derivatives; complex molecules like proteins and oligo-(polysaccharides); and even probiotics or whole cell catalysts. Our experience spans across various organisms such as bacteria, yeast, algae, and filamentous fungi. This versatility allows Evonik to support the development of products for diverse industries including biomaterials, cosmetics, advanced food ingredients, and pharma. 

Collaborative and continuous process improvement 

At Evonik, collaboration defines us. Our cross-functional teams use a data deep-dive approach to identify and estimate the highest potential, combining different competencies for continuous process improvement. We optimize different levers to help our customers achieve their objectives, be it time to market, improving revenue by cutting production costs, or efficient capital use when it comes to expansion of product supply and quantities.  

Partnering for innovation and optimization 

With our broad range of capabilities and expertise, Evonik's Biotech Hub is ready to assist our customers in developing innovative solutions for the challenges of today. Whether you aim to develop new products or optimize existing processes, we are here to help you succeed.  

Learn more about microbial fermentation at Evonik or discuss your individual needs with our global team of experts by our contact form.