As a partner, connector, and catalyst, Oost NL propels innovative entrepreneurs from Gelderland and Overijssel forward. Together, we accelerate technological innovation for a livable, sustainable future.

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The story of Corvus Drones

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<h2 class="ctn-title">New pilot capacity strengthens Dutch infrastructure for scale-up and validation</h2>
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Contract: Food-grade precision-fermentation pilot line with 1,000 L and 10,000 L fermenters, including integrated upstream and primary recovery steps. Timing: Pre-pilot fermentation facility (10&ndash;30 liters) operational from February 2026; pilot installation in 2026 with operations starting in 2027. Impact: Shared open-access infrastructure reduces scale-up risk and accelerates investment, regulatory and commercial decision-making for New Food innovators.
Ede (The Netherlands), January 13th, 2026 &ndash; Biotechnology Fermentation Factory (BFF) has awarded GEA the contract to supply, install and commission a new food-grade (precision)fermentation upscaling line at its facility on the NIZO Food Innovation Campus in Ede. The line &mdash; featuring 1,000-liter and 10,000-liter fermenters with integrated upstream and primary recovery steps &mdash; is a key element in expanding the Netherlands&rsquo; mid-scale fermentation infrastructure and strengthening Europe&rsquo;s capacity to bring biotechnology-enabled food innovations to market.
The new installation forms part of BFF&rsquo;s open-access scale-up environment, designed to help companies validate fermentation processes under realistic, food-grade conditions and generate decision-grade datasets to support investors, regulatory and commercial decision-making. The facility will operate alongside BFF&rsquo;s existing 10&ndash;30 liter pre-pilot systems and its 800 liter and 4,000 liter biomass-fermentation lines. Following primary recovery, pilot material can be transferred directly into the existing DSP pilot plant at NIZO, enabling end-to-end validation workflows within the same campus.
<img src="https://media.oostnl.nl/3_D_model_BFF_from_above_3d2533d146.png" alt="3D model BFF from above.png"> Closing a critical gap in the European scale-up landscape
Many precision- and biomass-fermentation projects stall between laboratory proof-of-concept and the first commercial investment decision. By providing shared access to food-grade pilot capacity, BFF supports innovators in overcoming this &ldquo;missing middle&rdquo;, reducing risk and accelerating movement from TRL 4&ndash;7. BFF&rsquo;s open-access model serves both food and ingredient biotech companies and technology providers developing new tools for fermentation performance, such as sensing, process-control and metabolic-monitoring solutions. Validating these technologies in real, food-grade environments is essential for adoption by industry.
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&ldquo;Our aim is straightforward: to give the industry dependable, open-access capacity to validate fermentation processes under food-grade, scalable conditions. With GEA supplying this new precision-fermentation line, companies will gain the technical reliability and speed they need to move confidently from lab development toward industrial readiness.&rdquo;
-Marcel Oogink, Managing Director, Biotechnology Fermentation Factory
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<img src="https://media.oostnl.nl/Overview_Food_Innovation_Campus_8c993dac5b.png" alt="Overview Food Innovation Campus.png"> 
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&ldquo;Food-grade pilot capacity is a critical link many innovators have been missing. By delivering BFF&rsquo;s new line, we help teams validate their processes faster and more reliably &mdash; and we strengthen GEA&rsquo;s role where biotechnology meets scalable manufacturing. This pilot environment enables application-ready material and decision-grade datasets that support the transition toward commercial production.&rdquo;
&ndash; Frederieke Reiners, Vice President New Food, GEA
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<h4>Financing and strategic context</h4>
The expansion of BFF&rsquo;s pilot capability is supported by the Dutch National Growth Fund program Cellulaire Agricultuur Nederland (CAN), with regional co-funding from Oost NL and in-kind contributions from NIZO. Together, these investments strengthen the Dutch position as a leading hub for fermentation-based food innovation and enable companies to advance more quickly toward market entry.
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<h3>Note for editors</h3>
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<li>Site: Biotechnology Fermentation Factory (BFF), NIZO Food Innovation campus, Ede (NL)</li>
<li>GEA scope: Supply, installation and commissioning of a precision-fermentation pilot upscaling line; integrated upstream to downstream, incl. automation.</li>
<li>Capacity: Open-access, food-grade pilot capacity for process validation and scale-up with 1,000l and 10,000l precision fermentation system</li>
<li>Purpose: Open-access, food-grade pilot capacity for process validation and scale-up (TRL 4&ndash;7)</li>
<li>Integration: Primary recovery on the BFF/GEA line; secondary DSP via the existing NIZO DSP pilot plant</li>
<li>Primary audience / use case:</li>
<li>Food &amp; ingredient biotech companies and technology providers developing tools for advanced fermentation</li>
<li>Start of operations: beginning of 2027</li>
</ul>
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BFF awards GEA a contract to build new food-grade (precision) fermentation upscaling line

AstraZeneca today announced a $70 million investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Oost NL and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) supported the company in its expansion process, in close collaboration with the Province of Gelderland and the City of Nijmegen. The groundbreaking ceremony was performed by Hubert Bruls, Mayor of Nijmegen, together with Paul Bedford, Site Lead of AstraZeneca Nijmegen, and Per Alfredsson, Senior Vice President Global Biologics Operations at AstraZeneca, officially marking the start of construction.
<h2 class="chakra-text css-1ji0g3j">Central role in filling, inspection and distribution</h2>
AstraZeneca&rsquo;s Nijmegen facility plays a central role in the filling, inspection and distribution of biologic medicines, particularly for clinical research &mdash; from potential cancer treatments to vaccines for premature babies. The expansion will add a second fill line to the site. The number of employees will increase from 100 to approximately 130.
<h2 class="chakra-text css-1ji0g3j">Investment in sustainable and accessible healthcare</h2>
This investment in the Netherlands underscores AstraZeneca&rsquo;s conviction that sustainable public-private collaboration and forward-looking investment are essential to keep the Netherlands at the forefront of Life Sciences &amp; Health (LSH), to stimulate economic growth, and to deliver life-changing medicines to patients.
Paul Bedford, Site Lead at AstraZeneca Nijmegen, said:&nbsp;"Our investment in Nijmegen not only strengthens AstraZeneca&rsquo;s scientific and manufacturing capabilities but also sends a clear signal about the value of Life Sciences &amp; Health in the Netherlands. By expanding our production footprint, we reaffirm our commitment to Dutch patients, healthcare professionals, and society at large. The support from Oost NL and NFIA has made the expansion process smoother &mdash; it is valuable to work with a non-commercial partner that actively supports our presence in the region."
Oost NL and the NFIA supported AstraZeneca in exploring financial instruments, identifying solutions for grid congestion, and securing the necessary permits. Susan van Boxtel, Team Manager Foreign Direct Investment at Oost NL, said:&nbsp;"We value AstraZeneca&rsquo;s active role in the regional Pharma Delta collaboration, where knowledge institutions and business clusters work together on a talent programme and shared facilities. The expansion of a global player like AstraZeneca strengthens the pharmaceutical cluster in the Nijmegen-Oss region, and we are proud of that."
Hilde van der Meer, Commissioner of the NFIA, welcomed AstraZeneca&rsquo;s Nijmegen expansion in the Netherlands:&nbsp;"AstraZeneca&rsquo;s confidence in the Dutch Life Sciences &amp; Health cluster is time and again demonstrated through the investments they make, not only in their facilities but also in their people and in collaboration with researchers, local businesses and the community. With this expansion in Nijmegen, AstraZeneca once again strengthens its contribution to the LSH ecosystem."
<h2 class="chakra-text css-1ji0g3j">Sustainable location</h2>
AstraZeneca&rsquo;s Nijmegen site is already known for its sustainability ambitions, and this expansion follows AstraZeneca&rsquo;s global&nbsp;Ambition Zero Carbon&nbsp;programme: the goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. Since 2015, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been reduced by 77.5% (2024). In addition, despite growth, 20% less energy has been used across our sites (2024).
In the Netherlands, the company is also making significant progress. In 2021, Nijmegen was the first AstraZeneca site to achieve a 99% reduction in GHG emissions. Moreover, in 2022 AstraZeneca Netherlands became the first site worldwide with a 100% electric vehicle fleet.

More information

Nijmegen mayor Hubert Bruls breaks ground on construction



AstraZeneca expands in Nijmegen: $70 million investment in sustainable medicine manufacturing

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The entire textile chain is present, from recycled yarn to eco-design garments, reusing materials and high-tech recycling. Groundbreaking examples of circular textile innovation will be shown at the Innovators Gallery, such as the Circular Garment shirt. &nbsp; 
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<h2 class="Paragraph SCXW110734274 BCX8" lang="NL-NL" xml:lang="NL-NL">Not just a shirt, but a story of circular innovation&nbsp; </h2>
The centerpiece of our exhibition is the&nbsp;Circular Garment: a fully circular, wearable piece of clothing developed within the European collaboration RegioGreenTex. This unique shirt is made from recycled fibers - including Sasia&rsquo;s mechanically recycled cotton and SaXcell fibers - and wood pulp. It proves that circularity is not just an idea, but a tangible, stylish reality. Thanks to many regions, many countries, all different steps of the value chain, this shirt proves that making a value circle is doable.&nbsp; 
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<h2 class="Paragraph SCXW110734274 BCX8">Collaboration in research and development for the textile industry&nbsp;</h2>
Our participation demonstrates how cooperation within RegioGreenTex - where industry, research, government, and public partners join forces &ndash; leads to innovative and scalable solutions for the textile value chain. In addition to the Circular Garment, we are also showcasing SMEs from Eastern Netherlands that are pioneering with their own circular textile solutions. Oost NL is one of the 43 RegioGreenTex partners which is funded by the European i3 Program.&nbsp; 
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Visit us on 10 and 11 September at the 1931 Congress Centre in &rsquo;s-Hertogenbosch and discover how the textile sector is working towards a circular future.&nbsp;
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On 10 and 11 September, RegioGreenTex will be in the spotlight at Circular Textile Days in ’s-Hertogenbosch. Where a broad selection of international companies and institutes show their new sustainable, circular solutions.

From waste to wear: experience the Circular Garment up close at Circular Textile Days 

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Empowering and connecting future makers

Empowering and connecting future makers

How can we help you move forward?

I'm looking for an investor for my business

I need funding for an innovative project

I want to grow internationally

I'm looking for an investor for my business

I need funding for an innovative project

I want to grow internationally

I'm looking to establish or expand my business in East Netherlands

I want to connect with relevant partners

I want to make a business park future-proof

I'm looking to establish or expand my business in East Netherlands

I want to connect with relevant partners

I want to make a business park future-proof

The future of the horticulture sector

From Innovation to Impact

Food

Health

Energy

Food

Health

Energy

Tech

Circular Economy

Tech

Circular Economy

Latest news

BFF awards GEA a contract to build new food-grade (precision) fermentation upscaling line

AstraZeneca expands in Nijmegen: $70 million investment in sustainable medicine manufacturing

From waste to wear: experience the Circular Garment up close at Circular Textile Days

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