BiOrbic, Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre

What BiOrbic, Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre does

BiOrbic, formally BiOrbic Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy, is Ireland's designated national bioeconomy research centre, hosted at University College Dublin and coordinating 160+ researchers across 12 Irish institutions. Founded in 2017, the centre operates as a publicly funded research platform spanning five challenge areas: healthy ecosystems, climate-neutral operational systems, valorisation of waste resources, bioeconomy systems, and enabling actions. Its core technology base includes synthetic biology, green chemistry, biorefinery process scale-up, and circular economy systems design, anchored by the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant at Lisheen, Co. Tipperary — Ireland's first dedicated open-access bio-based scale-up facility.

BiOrbic's portfolio comprises flagship research projects (Farm Zero C targeting the world's first commercial carbon-neutral dairy farm, ReBioCycle for circular bioplastics upcycling, SusAlgaeFuel for microalgae-derived aviation fuels), doctoral training programmes (Talent4BBI MSCA programme, Atoms-2-Products), and public engagement platforms (The BioBus, Generation Glas, Sustainability Cafes). Industry collaboration spans Carbery, Glanbia Ireland, ADM Biopolis, Alltech, Corbion, Novamont, and Sappi, with international academic partners including RWTH-Aachen, KU Leuven, and Chalmers.

The entity does not sell products or services. Revenue is derived entirely from competitive research grants — primarily from Science Foundation Ireland (now Research Ireland), the European Research Council, and the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine — with recent notable awards including €3M for Grass4Value (2026), €1.5M ERC Starting Grant for HERDPATH (2026), and €2.5M ERC Advanced Grant for Professor Eoin Casey (2021). Its go-to-market is partnership-led: the centre engages industry and policymakers to co-develop bioeconomy innovations, scale processes through the open-access pilot plant, and produce the evidence base for Ireland's circular bioeconomy transition.

Name

BiOrbic, Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre

Legal name

BiOrbic Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy

Website

https://biorbic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BiOrbic is Ireland's publicly funded national bioeconomy research centre, coordinating 160+ researchers across 12 institutions to advance sustainable circular bioeconomy through synthetic biology, biorefinery scale-up, and industry-academia partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bioeconomy Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Bio-based Platform & Commodity Chemicals (e.g., bio-ethylene, bio-propylene, bio-BTX, bio-methanol) (EUAAAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)

Keywords

• Bioeconomy research
• Biorefinery systems
• Circular bioeconomy
• Synthetic biology
• Waste valorization

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: BiOrbic operates as a government-funded research centre (SFI Research Centre) generating revenue through competitive research grants from Science Foundation Ireland, European Research Council, Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine, and other public funding bodies. The centre does not generate commercial revenue from products or services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BiOrbic is Ireland's National Bioeconomy Research Centre focused on the development of a sustainable, circular bioeconomy. It serves as a platform for knowledge creation, bringing bioeconomy researchers, industry professionals, policymakers and communities together to solve grand societal challenges. The centre delivers research projects, open-access scale-up infrastructure, doctoral training programmes, and public engagement initiatives across areas including healthy ecosystems, climate-neutral operational systems, valorisation of waste resources, and bioeconomy systems.

Product overview

BiOrbic is Ireland's National Bioeconomy Research Centre focused on sustainable, circular bioeconomy development. Rather than a single commercial product, BiOrbic operates as a portfolio of interconnected research initiatives, infrastructure, and education programmes. The centre's offerings include major research projects (Farm Zero C, ReBioCycle, SusAlgaeFuel), open-access research infrastructure (National Biorefinery Pilot Plant), doctoral training programmes (Atoms-2-Products, Talent4BBI), and public engagement initiatives (The BioBus, Generation Glas). These programmes work collaboratively to address bioeconomy grand challenges across sectors including agriculture, waste valorisation, climate neutrality, and marine resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Farm Zero C: A research project to establish the world's first commercial carbon neutral dairy farm
• The BioBus
• National Biorefinery Pilot Plant
• Transatlantic Bioeconomy Centre
• Talent4BBI
• Generation Glas
• Atoms-2-Products

Products and services

• National Biorefinery Pilot Plant (NBPP) Ireland's first dedicated open-access and integrated bio-based product and process scale-up facility for scaling bioeconomy innovations. Provides industry partners with scale-up services for bio-based products and processes.
• Farm Zero C A collaborative research project to establish the world's first commercial carbon neutral dairy farm, combining technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase farm productivity and resilience. Involves collaboration with Carbery and Shinagh Estates at Shinagh Farm, West Cork.
• Talent4BBI The first industry-led PhD MSCA programme in Ireland for training future leaders for the European bio-based industry sector through a pan-European network of industry and academic partners. Spans 8 EU member states and 1 associated country with 10 industry and 8 academic partners.
• Atoms-2-Products A four-year PhD programme in Sustainable Chemistry providing advanced training for researchers in the bioeconomy through the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT).
• Transatlantic Bioeconomy Centre A joint partnership between BiOrbic and the Dynamic Sustainability Lab to strengthen transatlantic collaboration in bioeconomy research.
• ReBioCycle A European research project developing a new blueprint for circular bioplastics upcycling solutions.
• SusAlgaeFuel A European research project developing innovative approaches to produce aviation fuels from microalgae.

Quantifiable outcome

• 160+ researchers and 40+ active research projects across Ireland
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CarberycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey industry partner collaborating on Farm Zero C project to establish the world's first commercial carbon neutral dairy farm at Shinagh Farm, West Cork. Also partner in Grass4Value project for grass biorefinery research and Carbery project on branched-chain amino acid production using synthetic biology.
• ADM BiopoliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Talent4BBI MSCA COFUND programme. Hosts Early Stage Researchers for training in fermentation technologies, probiotics and postbiotics development, and product-to-market processes.
• AlltechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Talent4BBI programme specializing in animal feed and yeast biotechnology. Hosted welcome event industry visit.
• CorbioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Talent4BBI programme specializing in fermentation and advanced processes for sustainable solutions in food preservation and production. Hosted career development training in Gorinchem, Netherlands.
• NovamontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner hosting Talent4BBI Summer School & General Assembly in Novara, Italy. Specializes in bioplastics and biochemicals.
• SappicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Talent4BBI programme for novel catalytic routes towards carbon efficient lignocellulose biorefineries.
• Glanbia IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Talent4BBI programme focusing on bioeconomy research affecting farms and agricultural communities.
• Chalmers University of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Talent4BBI programme hosting ESR Maria Ciotti for PhD research on prospective LCA for technology development in bioeconomy.
• RWTH-Aachen UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Talent4BBI programme hosting ESR Lorenzo Garcia Tejada for lactic acid production research.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Talent4BBI programme hosting ESR Khaled Al Shwafy for lignocellulose biorefinery research.
• Dynamic Sustainability LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership with BiOrbic to establish the Transatlantic Bioeconomy Centre, strengthening transatlantic collaboration in bioeconomy research.
• Biobased Industries Consortium (BIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Talent4BBI Winter School in Brussels, providing policy context and industry connections for bio-based industries.
• TeagasccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing expertise in agriculture, food, and bioeconomy research across multiple projects including Farm Zero C and Rural BioReFarmeries.
• Munster Technological University (MTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in Grass4Value project with pilot biorefinery facilities, collaborating on biorefinery research and development.
• University of GalwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner collaborating on Rural BioReFarmeries and other bioeconomy projects including Professor Vincent O'Flaherty's work.
• EnzyPepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Talent4BBI programme for enzyme development research for sustainable pharmaceutical ingredient production.
• BionetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Talent4BBI programme hosting ESR Ana Del Hierro for bioprocess development research.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• DTU Biosustain (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability): Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustain at DTU runs a national bioeconomy/biomanufacturing research programme with industrial biotechnology focus and spin-out generation — closely comparable to BiOrbic's work on bio-based platform chemicals, bioengineering, and bioprocess scale-up.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB): Fraunhofer IGB is part of Germany's applied-research network running bioeconomy and industrial biotechnology pilot infrastructure with industry contract research — the same "public applied-research with industry revenue" model BiOrbic is structured around.
• Wageningen University & Research: Wageningen's Food & Biobased Research group runs open-access pilot facilities for bio-based product scale-up and operates a national bioeconomy research mandate covering agri-feedstocks, biorefinery, and circular systems, structurally the same role BiOrbic plays for Ireland.
• Centre for Process Innovation (CPI): CPI operates open-access national pilot facilities (notably the National Industrial Biotechnology Facility) for bio-based product scale-up under a public-funded Catapult model; the same open-access pilot infrastructure business model that underpins BiOrbic's National Biorefinery Pilot Plant.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: VTT is Europe's most directly comparable public applied-research organisation, running open-access pilot biotech infrastructure and operating a national bioeconomy mandate that mirrors BiOrbic's SFI Research Centre charter across biorefinery, synthetic biology, and industrial biotechnology.

Emerging players

• nova-Institut (Nova-Institute for Ecology and Innovation): nova-Institut is a Germany-based bioeconomy research and consultancy firm producing market reports, LCA studies, and policy advisory on bio-based materials — overlapping with BiOrbic's bioeconomy systems research and policy engagement remit, but focused on consulting/data rather than pilot infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU, formerly BBI JU): CBE JU is the EU-level public-private partnership funding bio-based innovation across Europe — BiOrbic participates via Talent4BBI and hosts CBE events; it acts as a broader incumbent funding ecosystem within which BiOrbic operates, comparable in bioeconomy focus but at a different (EU-wide, programme) level.

Others

• Carbery Group: Carbery is BiOrbic's primary Irish industry partner in Farm Zero C and Grass4Value; while not a peer organisation, they are a key industry counterpart whose dairy and bioeconomy strategy is co-developed with BiOrbic, making them relevant for any partnership/competitive scan.

Regional players

• Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC), University of York: BDC is a UK open-access bioeconomy pilot infrastructure centre operating under a university model with grant/industry funding — the same playbook as BiOrbic's NBPP but located in Yorkshire rather than Ireland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtw23wiL4LX4as6zZPgRyzg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biorbic
• Instagraminstagram.com/biorbic
• Xx.com/biorbic_centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about BiOrbic, Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre