Company Directory

Microbially produced leather alternative for luxury fashion

Replica Biomaterials is an industrial biotechnology company developing sustainable leather alternatives using engineered microbes. Its fermentation-based platform grows microbial biomaterials that are animal-free and petrochemical-free, with built-in customisable colour, eliminating the tanning and dyeing processes associated with conventional leather production. Products are designed for the luxury fashion industry. The company is supported by Innovate UK and the Science Creates accelerator.

Microbial platform converting organic waste into biofuels and bioresources

Biofuel Evolution is an industrial biotechnology company developing a platform integrating microbial consortia, bioelectrochemical systems, and data analytics to convert food and organic waste into biofuels and bio-based products. Designed for decentralised deployment in process industries, the system maps waste stream composition using AI-driven tools to optimise microbial bioprocesses across seasonal and site-specific variations. The company is developing a small-scale prototype with support from an Innovate UK grant, in collaboration with Newcastle University and UCL.

AI-designed protein fibres as sustainable alternatives to synthetic textiles

Solena Materials is an industrial biotechnology company developing a new class of protein-based fibres for the fashion and performance apparel sectors. Using proprietary deep learning models and computational protein design, the company engineers novel proteins from first principles, which are then produced using engineered microorganisms. The resulting fibres are biodegradable and free of petrochemical inputs, targeting both luxury and high-performance textile applications.

Bacterial bioinoculant replacing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in crops

NetZeroNitrogen is a biotechnology company developing a biological alternative to synthetic nitrogen fertiliser based on a naturally occurring endophytic bacterium that fixes atmospheric nitrogen within plant cells. The technology is designed to reduce dependence on synthetic nitrogen inputs, lowering associated greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining or improving crop yields. Initial target applications are in rice cultivation, with field trials underway across Southeast Asia.

Plant protein materials replacing plastics and microplastics

Xampla is a Cambridge-based materials innovation company developing plant protein-based alternatives to single-use plastics and synthetic microplastics. Its range of products includes biodegradable coatings, soluble films, edible films, and microcapsules derived from sustainable vegetable proteins such as pea, rapeseed and sunflower. Applications span food and beverage packaging, homecare, personal care, and active ingredient encapsulation. Xampla's technology, rooted in protein self-assembly research, is the basis of partnerships with major FMCG and packaging brands globally.

Global crop protection, seed and digital agriculture solutions provider

Corteva Agriscience UK is the British operating subsidiary of Corteva, Inc., a global agriculture company formed from the DuPont Pioneer, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont Crop Protection businesses. The company supplies Pioneer and Brevant seed varieties, crop protection products including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, and an expanding range of biological products derived from microorganisms. Corteva also provides UK farmers with agronomic support and digital agriculture tools, helping growers improve productivity while reducing reliance on synthetic inputs.

Microbial fermentation platforms for sustainable commodity chemicals

C3 Biotechnologies is a UK industrial biotechnology company engineering microbial strains and fermentation processes to convert waste carbon streams into bio-based commodity chemicals and sustainable fuels. Operating from a pilot plant in Stockport, the company uses synthetic biology and continuous fermentation under non-sterile conditions to produce drop-in alternatives to petrochemicals, including sustainable aviation fuel and acrylic glass precursors. Customers include defence organisations and industrial manufacturers seeking low-carbon supply chains.

Directed evolution platform engineering microbes for industrial biomanufacturing

Evolutor is a biotechnology company developing directed evolution technologies to enhance microbial performance for industrial biomanufacturing. Its proprietary genetic toolbox links bacterial cell fitness to recombinant protein production rates, generating evolved production strains with substantially improved protein titres. The company offers co-development partnerships and licensing of pre-evolved chassis microbes, and is building towards an automated evolutionary biofoundry integrating genetic engineering, custom hardware, and generative AI.

Fermentation platform producing renewable xylitol from agricultural waste

ARCITEKBio is an industrial biotech company developing a fermentation-based manufacturing platform for renewable xylitol production. Using engineered yeast strains, the company converts agricultural and industrial waste streams, including wheat straw, wood pulp, and brewers' by-products, into a natural low-calorie sweetener with applications in food, dental, and dietary products. ARCITEKBio also operates Project Revalue, a Welsh Government-supported initiative connecting businesses to valorise waste streams.

Speciality enzyme discovery, development, and commercial-scale manufacture

Biocatalysts is a Welsh industrial biotechnology company specialising in the discovery, development, and commercial-scale manufacture of speciality enzymes. Operating from fermentation and downstream processing facilities in Nantgarw, the company serves food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and life science industries with both catalogue enzyme products and bespoke custom development services. Its metagenomics platform supports novel enzyme discovery. Biocatalysts is a wholly owned subsidiary of BRAIN Biotech AG and holds multiple international quality and food safety certifications.

Microalgae cultivation and extraction for food, feed, and pharma

Algae Products International is a microalgae biotechnology company cultivating and processing microalgae for the food, nutraceutical, aquafeed, and pharmaceutical industries. Operating from photobioreactor facilities at the Clydach Refinery in Swansea, the company extracts high-value co-products including carotenoid pigments, phycobiliproteins, omega-3 lipids, and protein biomass. Its production process incorporates carbon capture, using waste CO₂ as a feedstock for algae cultivation.

Gene editing platform for disease-resistant, climate-resilient tropical crops

Tropic Biosciences is an agricultural biotechnology company developing gene-edited varieties of tropical crops, including banana, coffee, and rice, with a focus on disease resistance, climate resilience, and yield improvement. Its proprietary platform combines gene editing with RNA interference to redirect a plant's natural silencing mechanisms without introducing foreign DNA, enabling non-GMO classification in several markets. The platform is licensed to major agricultural companies including BASF, Corteva, and Syngenta for trait development across additional crop species.