Slovenian biotech SME engineering microbial strains for pharmaceutical ingredients, sustainable fertilizers, and agricultural biocontrol agents.
Acies Bio is a Slovenian biotech SME specialized in microbial engineering and natural product biosynthesis. They develop engineered microbial strains (particularly actinomycetes) to produce high-value compounds — from pharmaceutical ingredients and orphan drug candidates to bio-based fertilizers and biopesticides. Their core capability lies in metabolic engineering and fermentation-based valorization, turning biological systems into production platforms for chemicals, agrochemicals, and therapeutics. They bridge the gap between laboratory-scale microbial discoveries and commercially viable bioprocesses.
TOPCAPI focused on actinomycete chassis engineering for pharmaceutical ingredients; WHEY2VALUE valorized waste streams via microbial conversion; CoALIVE explored metabolic pathways for orphan drugs.
SUSFERT developed probiotic-based sustainable fertilizers with struvite and lignin coatings; BIOVEXO targets biocontrol of Xylella in olive trees using biopesticides.
M-DrivE (MSCA fellowship) developed chemical biology tools for metabolic induction of epigenetic modifications — expanding their capabilities toward drug discovery.
Both phases of WHEY2VALUE (SME-1 and SME-2) focused on converting waste whey into high-value products through bioprocessing.
Acies Bio started with deep expertise in actinomycete genetics and polyketide/NRPS biosynthesis — the classic toolkit for discovering and engineering microbial natural products (TOPCAPI, 2017). Over time, they broadened significantly: into medical applications like orphan drugs for metabolic disorders (CoALIVE), into epigenetic chemical biology (M-DrivE), and most notably into agricultural biotech — sustainable fertilizers and biocontrol agents (SUSFERT, BIOVEXO). The shift from pure pharma-oriented microbiology toward agri-bio and environmental applications is clear and deliberate.
Acies Bio is pivoting from pharmaceutical natural products toward agricultural biotech applications — biocontrol, biofertilizers, and sustainable crop protection — suggesting future partnerships should target the agri-food and circular bioeconomy space.
Acies Bio acts as both a project leader and a contributing specialist. They coordinated 4 of 7 projects, including using SME Instrument phases to develop their own technology (WHEY2VALUE, CoALIVE), which signals strong internal R&D ambition. As a participant, they join mid-sized consortia (27 unique partners across 9 countries), contributing specific microbial engineering expertise rather than general research capacity. Their mix of self-led SME projects and consortium participation makes them a flexible partner — capable of driving smaller focused efforts or plugging into larger collaborative programs.
Acies Bio has collaborated with 27 unique partners across 9 European countries, building a diverse network that spans academic institutions, agri-food companies, and biotech firms. Their geographic reach extends well beyond Slovenia into broader European R&D ecosystems.
Acies Bio combines deep actinomycete and microbial engineering know-how with a rare ability to translate that expertise across sectors — from pharma to agriculture to environmental applications. Unlike purely academic microbiology labs, they operate as a commercial biotech company with proven experience in scaling from feasibility (SME-1) to full development (SME-2). For consortium builders, they offer a Slovenian SME with genuine R&D depth in microbial natural products, which satisfies both technical and geographic diversity requirements.
