Scale Up!

The Innovation Space for Blue Bioeconomy is seeking a stakeholder group to create a scaling facility for industrial blue bioeconomy.

The aim is to find operators for the development of a viable concept for a modular test infrastructure in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which should facilitate the transition from the laboratory to industrial scale and validate feasibility on an economic scale.

The background: We in Schleswig-Holstein have no shortage of marine resources and established innovation networks. What has been lacking so far, however, are suitable structures for testing and scaling bio-based processes with Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 to 8 – the much-cited “Valley of Death.” This means that processes that are feasible in the laboratory are not automatically transferable to economic scales. Whether and how a technology/extraction/refinery/(...) is scalable should be tested with low investment and risk in a permanent facility with the appropriate technical equipment.

The project is aimed in particular at small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups that are developing processes for the use of, for example, micro/macro algae, seaweed, or aquaculture side streams.

By the end of the one-year project period (December 2026), an operators' structure with the largest possible overlap of interests should have emerged, which aims to implement the specific planning and construction of a modular test structure in Schleswig-Holstein as part of follow-up funding. The aim is to give companies and research institutions from the blue bioeconomy access to scalable industrial processes. At the same time, a viable business model combining sources of revenue is to be developed. Public projects in the climate, energy, and education sectors will also be given access to the facility for a fee.

Scientific findings will be systematically processed from analyses, stakeholder dialogues, and roadmapping, including in the form of process evaluations, open-discussion presentations on specialist platforms, and knowledge and technology transfer offerings. Knowledge transfer will take place prospectively through a physical scaling plant via collaborations with universities, educational institutions, and potential spin-offs. The connection to European networks creates export potential for processes and know-how from Schleswig-Holstein with an impact beyond the location.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).

Start: immediately (January 2026)