BIOTREND-INOVACAO E ENGENHARIA EM BIOTECNOLOGIA SA

Their core work

Biotrend is a Portuguese biotechnology SME specializing in industrial bioprocesses that convert waste streams — wastewater, municipal bio-waste, food waste, and agricultural residues — into valuable bioproducts such as bioplastics (PHA/PHBV), volatile fatty acids, and bio-based materials. They operate at the intersection of waste valorization and bio-based manufacturing, providing fermentation expertise, bioprocess engineering, and scale-up capabilities. Their work spans the full chain from lab-scale yeast and microbial platforms to pilot-scale production of biopolymers for packaging, textiles, and automotive applications.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Between 2016 and 2019, Biotrend focused heavily on wastewater-based resource recovery — extracting phosphorus, cellulose, PHA, and organic acids from treatment plants, with strong emphasis on process engineering (DSS, optical sensing, anaerobic co-digestion). From 2020 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward bio-based materials for consumer applications: food packaging, bioplastic recycling, sustainable design, and market uptake of PHA products. This evolution reflects a move from upstream waste treatment R&D to downstream product development and commercialization of bioplastics.

Biotrend is moving from waste-to-resource research toward market-ready bioplastic products, making them an increasingly relevant partner for companies seeking bio-based alternatives to conventional plastics in packaging and consumer goods.

How they like to work

Biotrend operates exclusively as a participant or third party — never as a coordinator — which positions them as a reliable technical partner that contributes specialized bioprocess capabilities without seeking project leadership. With 195 unique partners across 24 countries, they have built an exceptionally wide network for an SME, indicating they are valued for their specific technical contributions rather than institutional weight. Their consistent participation in both Innovation Actions (IA) and Research & Innovation Actions (RIA) shows they bridge the gap between fundamental research and demonstration-scale work.

Biotrend has collaborated with 195 unique partners across 24 countries, an unusually broad network for a biotechnology SME. Their reach spans across the EU with no apparent geographic concentration beyond their Portuguese base, reflecting strong pan-European integration in the bioeconomy research community.

What sets them apart

Biotrend occupies a rare niche as a private biotechnology SME with deep, hands-on expertise in scaling up PHA bioplastic production from waste feedstocks — a capability that most universities and research institutes lack. Their 12-project track record spanning the full value chain from wastewater treatment through fermentation to bioplastic product prototyping makes them a uniquely practical partner who can take lab results to pilot scale. For consortium builders, they bring industrial bioprocess engineering that complements academic research without competing for project leadership.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OLEFINE
  Highest single-project funding (EUR 485,957) — oleaginous yeast platform for fine chemicals represents their deepest investment in microbial biotechnology.
• NENU2PHAR
  Directly targets PHA-based consumer products at scale, representing the commercial endpoint of their decade-long bioplastics expertise.
• BIONANOPOLYS
  Their most recent project (2021-2024) and a cross-sector play into nano-enabled bio-based materials for packaging, textile, and automotive — signaling diversification beyond food packaging.