Background
The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has been awarded Scottish Government funding to address bottlenecks in the pathway to scale for industrial biotechnology (IB) upstream and downstream bioprocesses that can generate economic benefit for Scotland.
This is the second round of the Accelerator, focused on projects that need process validation at up to 300 L scale. It is open to industry and academic led projects, using wild type or genetically modified microorganisms.
We are inviting bioprocess developers to apply for business vouchers of up to 50% of the total project costs (maximum voucher. £20,000) (“Business Vouchers”) to support industry or academic led projects to scale-up to 300 L at the IBioIC Bioprocess Scale-Up Centre (FlexBIO).
FlexBIO, hosted within the John Coulson Building at Heriot-Watt University, bridges the gap between early-stage laboratory research and industrial-scale bioproduction. It offers biotech companies, startups and research organisations access to pilot-scale bioreactor infrastructure, expert technical support, and end-to-end process development services. The centre is agnostic of host cell organism, wild type or GMO, and can scale processes from bench-scale, up to 300 L (microbial), offering a range of downstream processing options.
For a comprehensive list of services, please see https://www.ibioic.com/flexbio-equipment-portfolio-and-capabilities
Eligibility Criteria:
For a project to be considered for a Business Voucher it must meet all the following criteria:
It must be led by either an industrial or academic organisation, and have a credible plan for securing follow-on funding or investment to take a successful product or service to market;
The lead organisation must be able to cover the remaining cost of the project above the Business Voucher value in cash;
The project must include one fermentation run up from pre-pilot to pilot scale (up to 300 L) at FlexBIO.
The project must be at a stage where the proposed work can start no later than 15th February 2027 and be completed by 31st March 2027 (this timeline is defined by the Scottish Government award).
Your project must deliver a clear benefit to Scotland’s economy. Applicants based in Scotland will meet this criterion. However, if you are not based in Scotland, but can make a clear statement as to why the project will benefit the nation directly, you may be eligible. Benefits to Scotland could include plans for further process development, high-impact collaborations (e.g. valorisation of feedstocks or co-products from Scottish industries), manufacturing or jobs creation in Scotland. We will ask for evidence at the onboarding stage as to the verity of the benefit to Scotland.
Project Stage and Funding
Your process should already work reliably at bench scale, and the aim of the project should be to establish, develop and de-risk it up to 300 L. Alongside the 300 L run, the voucher can support the work needed to de-risk the downstream processing of the product.
Vouchers can sit alongside other public funding but cannot cover costs already funded from another source. If you have applied, or are applying, to other scale-up or engineering biology competitions, please tell us in your EOI.
For the avoidance of doubt, the voucher has no cash value and can only be used for work delivered at FlexBIO.
Subsidy Control
This call is funded by the Scottish Government so Business Vouchers are considered to be Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. For academic-led projects, MFA may not apply and will be confirmed at award.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/subsidy-control-guidance/pages/special-drawing-rights/.
How to Apply
The call is now open until 21st December 2026, or until all vouchers have been allocated if sooner. Applications are assessed and vouchers awarded on a rolling basis, so please apply early. Work must start by 15th February 2027 at the latest and be completed by 31st March 2027.
Please submit an expression of interest (EOI) form, found below, which requests some non-confidential information about the scope and process that you wish to scale.
EOIs will be reviewed within two (2) weeks of submission. If the project fits the call, the FlexBIO team will call you to explore the project requirements further. You will then complete a more detailed enquiry form so they can better understand your objectives and provide indicative costs.
This onboarding enquiry form will then be reviewed, in confidence, by a panel comprised of the FlexBIO Facility Director and IBioIC CEO (the “IBioIC Project Selection Panel”). Projects will be judged on technical and commercial merit, benefit to Scotland, and whether the work can be delivered by 31 March 2027. Successful applicants will be notified about the outcome as soon as possible. Feedback will be given to unsuccessful applicants so they can revise and re-submit while the call remains open.
FlexBIO will then provide a fully costed workplan (at FlexBIO’s standard rates, showing the voucher value and your contribution) and draft contract for review. Work can only start when the contract is signed. The applicant is under no obligation to go ahead with the work if their circumstances change, but we expect applicants to notify us of this decision within two (2) weeks of delivery of the costed workplan.
The decision of the IBioIC Project Selection Panel to award funding is final. Vouchers are awarded on a rolling basis to projects that meet the criteria, in the order that they are approved, until the budget is fully allocated. The decisions and the reasons by the IBioIC Project Selection Panel will be recorded and made available to applicants on request.
The applicant/awardee retains foreground IP as per standard FlexBIO contract terms with a standard non-disclosure agreement available before detailed disclosure.