German-Indian Partnership Establishes Bioprocess Scale-Up Centre in Hyderabad
In a strategic move poised to significantly advance the Indian government's BioE3 vision—which focuses on biotechnology for economy, environment, and employment—German process technology leader Glatt has collaborated with Hyderabad-based PreferCo to inaugurate the 'PreferCo-Glatt Centre of Excellence for Bioprocess Scale-Up' in Genome Valley, Hyderabad. This initiative is designed to accelerate microbial precision fermentation from laboratory research to pilot and pre-commercial manufacturing stages.
Addressing Critical Infrastructure Gaps in India's Bioprocessing Ecosystem
The newly established Centre of Excellence aims to tackle a persistent bottleneck in India's bioprocessing landscape: the lack of reliable, globally benchmarked scale-up infrastructure accessible to innovators across industry, academia, and start-ups. According to statements from both companies, the facility will support scale-up processes up to a 1,500-litre bioreactor capacity. It will integrate advanced automation, sophisticated instrumentation, and AI-enabled process intelligence to enhance reproducibility, deepen process understanding, and mitigate technical risks during scale-up operations.
Digital-First Approach to Accelerate Commercial Readiness
Emphasizing a digital-first architecture, the centre is engineered to expedite decision-making and shorten timelines from proof of concept to commercial readiness. This approach not only streamlines biopharmaceutical development but also extends support to a broad spectrum of industrial biotechnology applications. These include personal care products, wellness and longevity solutions, sustainable materials, functional foods, and bio-based chemicals, thereby diversifying its impact across multiple sectors.
Boosting India's Rapidly Expanding Bioeconomy
Rajiv Bhide, Managing Director of Glatt Systems Pvt Ltd, highlighted the remarkable growth of India's bioeconomy, which has surged from $10 billion in 2014 to $166 billion in 2024. Projections indicate it could reach $300 billion by 2030, underscoring the urgent need for robust scaling-up infrastructure aligned with the government's BioE3 vision. This partnership between Glatt and PreferCo is set to play a pivotal role in supporting this exponential growth by providing essential technological and operational capabilities.
The establishment of this Centre of Excellence marks a significant milestone in strengthening India's position in the global biotechnology arena, fostering innovation, and driving sustainable economic development through cutting-edge bioprocess solutions.
