Plant Biologicals Network

What Plant Biologicals Network does

The Plant Biologicals Network (PBN) is a non-commercial research and innovation network founded in 2018 and headquartered in Frederiksberg C, Denmark. The network functions as a coordination and knowledge-exchange platform rather than a product or service company, bringing together biotech firms, universities, and agricultural organizations in Southern Scandinavia to advance the field of plant biologicals — biological alternatives to chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It was established by nine founding partners: Bayer, FMC, Chr. Hansen, Novozymes, Danish Agriculture & Food Council (Landbrug & Fødevarer), Danish Technological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The network is administered by the University of Copenhagen, with Professor Svend Christensen serving as Network Chairman and Kristine Groth Kirkensgaard as Network Manager.

PBN's core offerings are programmatic rather than product-based. These include the annual PBN Symposium, a one-day conference featuring international researchers, industry representatives, and policymakers; a publicly accessible Knowledge Bank containing cluster analyses, annual reports, scientific publications, and symposium abstract books; and recurring matchmaking workshops that connect students with industry members. PBN also participates in larger collaborative efforts such as the Climate Friendly Plant Biologicals Project, an Innomission 3 initiative funded by Innovation Fund Denmark that develops methods for assessing plant biologicals' impact on crop productivity, climate, environment, and biodiversity. In 2021, PBN joined the AgriFoodTure partnership, a collaboration of approximately 300 researchers and experts across Danish universities and food-cluster organizations focused on sustainable food-system transformation.

PBN operates as a membership organization with no publicly disclosed pricing, no equity structure, and no reported revenue. Financing derives from membership contributions by partner organizations and project funding from sources such as Innovation Fund Denmark. The network does not sell commercial products or services, holds no patents, and has no reported certifications. Stakeholder segments are bi-directional: industry partners (biotech firms developing biological inputs), academic institutions (universities conducting plant-science research), and agricultural organizations (industry associations and farmer representatives). Geographic scope is anchored in Southern Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden), with stated intent to expand to other Nordic countries and the Baltic states.

Name

Plant Biologicals Network

Legal name

Plant Biologicals Network

Website

https://plantbiologicals.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Plant Biologicals Network is a Denmark-based, non-commercial knowledge-exchange network founded in 2018 that connects biotech companies, universities, and agricultural organizations across Southern Scandinavia to advance research, regulation, and education in plant biologicals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Network

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Biologicals Regulatory, Testing & Quality Assurance Services (AFABAEAO)

Keywords

• Plant biologicals research
• Agricultural innovation network
• Biological crop protection
• Sustainable agriculture knowledge
• Agricultural biotech collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Frederiksberg

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and network coordination: The network operates through membership from partner organizations and coordination activities. Revenue appears to come from membership contributions and potential project funding from foundations such as the Danish Innovation Foundation. The network does not appear to sell products or services commercially.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Plant Biologicals Network is a membership-based knowledge exchange and innovation network in Southern Scandinavia that connects biotech companies, universities, and agricultural organizations to facilitate knowledge sharing on plant biologicals research, regulation, and education. Its core offerings are the Annual PBN Symposium, the Knowledge Bank (resource centre with publications and reports), and collaborative research projects such as the Climate Friendly Plant Biologicals initiative. The network does not sell commercial products; it provides coordination, events, and knowledge dissemination to its members.

Product overview

Plant Biologicals Network is a knowledge and innovation hub in Southern Scandinavia composed of key players from biotech companies, universities, and research institutions. The network facilitates knowledge exchange on research, innovation, regulation, and education within plant biologicals. Core offerings include the Annual PBN Symposium (annual conference), the Knowledge Bank (publications and reports), and collaborative research projects like the Climate Friendly Plant Biologicals Project. This is not a product company but rather a network organization that connects stakeholders in the plant biologicals sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual PBN Symposium Annual one-day symposium bringing together researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers to share knowledge on plant biologicals topics including regulation, lab-to-field transition, and hands-on experiences. Open to anyone interested in plant biologicals to network with PBN members.
• Knowledge Bank (Resource Centre) Online repository containing cluster analyses, annual reports, scientific publications, and symposium abstract books related to plant biologicals. Available to network members and the public to support research and knowledge dissemination.
• Climate Friendly Plant Biologicals Project Collaborative research project under the AgriFoodTure partnership, funded by Innovation Fund Denmark's Innomission 3 program, developing novel methods for assessing plant biologicals' impact on crop productivity, climate, environment, and biodiversity. Project-managed by the Danish Technological Institute.
• Workshops and Matchmaking Events Recurring educational workshops covering topics like regulation and soil health, plus matchmaking events connecting students with industry members, supporting talent development and knowledge transfer between academia and industry.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• AgriFoodTure PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Plant Biologicals Network is part of the AgriFoodTure partnership, a collaboration of around 300 researchers and experts from Danish universities and food cluster organizations. AgriFoodTure was formed in response to Innovation Fund Denmark's Innomission 3 call and focuses on sustainable food system transformation. The Climate Friendly Plant Biologicals project is a key initiative under this partnership.
• BayercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner of the Plant Biologicals Network. Bayer contributes industry expertise in crop protection and plant biologicals development as part of the network's effort to advance biological alternatives to chemical pesticides.
• FMCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner of the Plant Biologicals Network. FMC brings expertise in agricultural solutions and contributes to network activities focused on biological plant protection products.
• Chr. HansencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner of the Plant Biologicals Network. Chr. Hansen contributes expertise in microbial solutions and biological products for agriculture.
• NovozymescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner of the Plant Biologicals Network. Novozymes contributes expertise in enzyme and biological solutions for agricultural applications.
• Danish Agriculture & Food Council (Landbrug & Fødevarer)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner representing the agricultural industry. Provides connection to farming community and practical perspective on adoption of plant biologicals.
• Danish Technological InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner contributing technical expertise in testing and development of biological products. Also serves as project manager for Climate Friendly Plant Biologicals project.
• University of CopenhagencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner and network administrator. Provides academic research expertise and hosts the Copenhagen Plant Science Centre where network activities are conducted. Professor Svend Christensen serves as Network Chairman.
• Aarhus UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner contributing academic research expertise in plant sciences, agroecology, and environmental biology.
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2018Founding partner contributing international academic research perspective from Sweden, expanding the network's Nordic reach.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CropLife International: Global federation representing the plant science industry across crop protection and seeds, including biological and conventional solutions. Comparable to PBN as an industry-academic-regulator convener, but operates at far greater scale and breadth, covering the entire crop science value chain rather than specializing in biologicals.
• European Crop Protection Association (ECPA): European-level association representing the crop protection industry, including biological product manufacturers. ECPA shares PBN's regulatory-advocacy and knowledge-sharing function for plant protection products, but at EU-wide scale and across both chemical and biological segments.

Others

• CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International): International not-for-profit providing scientific expertise, knowledge products, and convening services in agriculture and the environment. Comparable to PBN as a knowledge-exchange and standards-setting organization in the plant/agriculture domain, but operating globally and across a much broader scientific scope.
• EIP-AGRI (European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural productivity and Sustainability): EU-level network connecting farmers, researchers, advisors, and agri-businesses to facilitate knowledge exchange and innovation in agriculture. Functionally analogous to PBN as a multi-stakeholder coordination platform, but operating at EU-wide scope across all agricultural innovation themes.
• Soil Health Institute: US-based non-profit coordinating research, standards development, and stakeholder engagement on soil health, including soil microbiome and biologicals adoption. Comparable to PBN as a knowledge-and-standards coordination hub adjacent to plant biologicals (soil health and biological product efficacy overlap heavily with PBN's mandate), but focused specifically on soil health rather than the full biologicals value chain.
• AgriFoodTure Partnership: Danish partnership of ~300 researchers and experts from universities and food cluster organizations responding to Innovation Fund Denmark's Innomission 3 call. PBN is a member of AgriFoodTure, and the two share structural similarities as Danish knowledge-exchange networks, though AgriFoodTure covers the entire food system rather than specializing in plant biologicals.

Regional players

• NordForsk: Nordic inter-governmental research-funding organization coordinating research collaboration across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. Comparable to PBN as a Nordic-level convening and funding body for research collaboration, though covering all scientific fields rather than specializing in plant biologicals.
• Nordic Forest Research (SNS): Nordic research network funding and coordinating forest research collaboration across the Nordic countries. Structurally similar to PBN as a Nordic-level multi-stakeholder coordination network that connects universities, research institutes, and industry, but focused on forestry rather than plant biologicals.

Direct peers

• International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA): Global trade association representing the biological control industry, including manufacturers of biopesticides and biocontrol products. IBMA is the most direct functional peer to PBN: both are membership-based organizations facilitating knowledge exchange, regulation engagement, and industry-academia collaboration specifically in plant biologicals/biocontrol, though IBMA operates globally while PBN is regionally focused.
• Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA): US-based membership organization representing manufacturers of biological products including biopesticides, biostimulants, and biofertilizers. BPIA mirrors PBN's coordination-and-knowledge-exchange model for plant biologicals stakeholders, providing advocacy, education, and technical resources to a similar set of industry, academic, and government participants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plant-biologicals-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Plant Biologicals Network