Industrial biotechnology harnesses the power of microorganisms to produce chemicals and materials for a wide range of sectors including fuels, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and sustainable packaging. Accordingly, industrial biotechnology is considered to be a cornerstone of the circular bioeconomy.

As a rapidly developing field, industrial biotechnology is data-intensive and thus an ideal candidate for the use of advanced digital methods. However, both industrial biotechnology and advanced digital technologies for industry are emerging areas. Therefore, the integration of these two relatively immature, fast-evolving technology families is a challenge in itself.

Bioindustry 4.0 is a cutting-edge initiative bringing together academia and industry in Europe to shape the future of industrial biotechnology. Spearheaded by 6 major European research infrastructures and supported by a consortium of 25 organizations, our mission is to enhance the competitiveness of the European biotech sector globally. By refining technologies such as AI, digital twin, and cloud technologies, we want to empower professionals from academia and industry to collaborate and push the boundaries of bioprocess design and control – making these technologies faster, cheaper, and more sustainable.

Cutting edge research and new services

Through Bioindustry 4.0 we intend to devise 5 new services that will be offered by European research infrastructures. These services will support the needs of academia and industry alike, providing them with access to some of the most advanced technologies available. These services include:

A data fabric – a platform that helps users to structure and manage their datasets in ways compliant with international standards and suitable for use in algorithm training. The data fabric will ensure that high-quality datasets are available for AI learning, for example, using federated approaches. This is crucial for users that wish to source data from different locations and for user consortia that wish to engage in trusted data networks to co-develop AI powered methodologies, such as digital twins.

Advanced process analytical technology (PAT) devices – these are cutting-edge sensor devices that will offer novel in-line bioprocess monitoring capabilities. These devices will provide users with the ability to perform real-time bioprocess monitoring and open the way to automated real-time bioprocess control. 

A strain discovery tool and decision support system –  these tools will enhance the experience of microbial culture collection users. The first one should increase users' ability to query microbial accession databases, providing users with unprecedented querying power. Likewise, a novel computational tool will  provide the means to enhance strain engineering processes using the rich knowledge contained in microbial collection databases.

Digital shadows for bioprocess design – using physical and biological models, and a wealth of legacy and bespoke datasets, bioreactor digital shadows will be designed and trained. As advanced digital tools, Bioindustry 4.0 digital shadows will provide R&D specialists with new capabilities to explore bioreactor behaviour and generate new knowledge.

Digital twins for bioprocess control – by using robust bioreactor models, Bioindustry 4.0 will develop digital twins suitable for real-time process control. This involves the use of model reduction methods (e.g., use of neural networks), necessary to produce computationally agile systems suitable for coupling to in-line PAT devices. Ultimately, these digital twins will provide the basis for autonomous bioprocess control systems and quality by design biomanufacturing.

Join Bioindustry 4.0 and be part of the transformative journey that will unlock the vast potential of industrial biotechnology!