Estonia Aids Biotech Startup's Microbial Oil Production Project with €1.94 Million
Estonian biotech company ÄIO and research organization TFTAK have received €1.94 million in funding from the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency's (EIS) Applied Research Programme for a three-year R&D project focused on microbial oil production.
The €2.53 million DigiFoundry 2.0 project will combine synthetic biology, fermentation, automation, and digital process control to improve the efficiency and scalability of producing oils and fats from food, agricultural, and wood-industry side-streams.
ÄIO develops fermentation-based methods for producing oils and fats from agricultural, food, and wood-industry side-streams using specialized microorganisms. The company's technology can reduce land use by up to 97% and water consumption by up to 90% compared with conventional production methods.