Two new cellular agriculture scale-up facilities have been launched in the Netherlands, supported by the Dutch government’s National Growth Fund.

The independent, open-access facilities aim to further strengthen the Netherlands’ position within the global cellular agriculture industry, marking a significant milestone for the sector as it seeks to accelerate a more sustainable future for food production.

They are being developed in collaboration between the National Growth Fund (NGF); the Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation; Nizo Food Research; Mosa Meat; and the government’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature.

To support the growth of the cellular agriculture industry, these new advanced facilities will provide companies working in cell culture and precision fermentation with the essential infrastructure to scale up their R&D and production processes.

By removing the need for companies to invest in costly, pilot-scale production infrastructure, the new sites aim to drive innovation and accelerate the commercialisation of cell-based ingredients and products.

The Biotechnology Fermentation Factory Ede

The Biotechnology Fermentation Factory in Ede, Netherlands, is led by contract research organisation Nizo and focuses specifically on precision fermentation. It will offer direct connection to the existing Nizo food-grade DSP pilot plant and food application research, built on Nizo’s experience with analytical, regulatory and commercialisation services.

The facility is designed to enable fast product and process development, product optimisation and seamless scaling. It is supported by a €12.5 million grant provided by the NGF, a €5 million in-kind co-financing commitment from Nizo, and investment from Oost as fund manager of Perspectieffonds Gelderland.

Construction of the large-scale facility is already underway, while smaller-scale production needs are being served by Nizo’s existing facilities.

Nikolaas Vles, CEO of Nizo, said: “This new facility on the Nizo premises fits seamlessly with our existing food-grade infrastructure and expertise in fermentation and proteins. By expanding to include larger-scale Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) processing, we are accelerating the protein transition and enabling a more sustainable food chain and a healthier future. This complements our existing services for scaling up plant-based alternatives and downstream processing.”

Cultivate at Scale

Another facility, Cultivate at Scale, has been set up in Maastricht, Netherlands, to advance cell culture bioprocessing.

This site is supported by Dutch cultivated meat start-up Mosa Meat, which is headquartered in Maastricht and was founded in 2016. Supported by Mosa Meat’s expertise in cell-based meat production, the facility is already fully operational and welcoming new customers.

Its workforce has successfully managed production batches for multiple cellular agriculture companies and its operations are supported by renowned suppliers of advanced cell-ag equipment, including bioreactors, cell lines and cell feed. Advanced quality control processes are in place at the site, which has supported the creation of multiple Novel Foods submission dossiers previously.

In a statement shared on its LinkedIn page, Mosa Meat said Cultivate at Scale will lower barriers to entry for companies innovating in cellular agriculture by bridging the gap between research and scalable production and stimulating a thriving ecosystem.

Jaco van der Merwe, managing director of Cultivate at Scale, said: “This groundbreaking initiative, made possible by the financial support of the Dutch government, Mosa Meat’s expertise in cultivated meat production and the collaboration of partners across the cellular agriculture ecosystem, represents a major step forward for our industry”.

“Together with our dedicated team, we look forward to helping companies bridge the gap from research to scalable production, accelerating the global transition to sustainable and innovative food systems.”

Top image: © Cultivate at Scale

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