DRAXIS RESEARCH VENTURES ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIRIA

Their core work

DRAXIS Research Ventures is a Greek non-profit SME based in Thessaloniki that specializes in turning organic waste streams into valuable bio-based products and energy. They work on circular bioeconomy models — helping cities valorise biowaste and wastewater, supporting biogas production through microbial community research, and developing small-scale biorefineries for rural communities. Their practical focus spans investment planning, business model design, and financial engineering for circular economy projects, bridging the gap between research outputs and market-ready bio-based solutions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DRAXIS entered H2020 in 2020 with a focus on urban waste management infrastructure — investment planning, public procurement, and financial models for city-level biowaste systems (HOOP). By 2021, their work shifted decisively toward biological conversion technologies: biogas via synthetic microbial communities and small-scale biorefineries producing biochar, biomaterials, and fertilizers. This trajectory shows a move from the business and financing side of circular economy toward the actual bio-based production technologies themselves.

DRAXIS is moving from advising on circular economy business models toward hands-on involvement in bioenergy and biorefinery technologies, making them increasingly relevant for projects needing both technical and commercialisation expertise.

How they like to work

DRAXIS operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia — typical for a small non-profit research SME contributing specialist expertise to larger teams. With 67 unique partners across 19 countries from just 3 projects, they work in large, internationally diverse consortia. This broad partner network relative to their project count suggests they bring a specific, valued skill set that fits well into multi-partner collaborative frameworks.

Despite only 3 projects, DRAXIS has built a network of 67 partners across 19 countries — a remarkably wide reach indicating involvement in large EU-scale consortia. Their projects span Europe and extend to Africa (BIO4AFRICA), giving them exposure beyond the typical EU partner landscape.

What sets them apart

DRAXIS combines research capabilities with business model design and financial engineering — an unusual mix for a non-profit research SME. While many partners bring either technical research or business consultancy, DRAXIS can contribute on both fronts: understanding the science of biowaste conversion while also designing the investment and procurement frameworks needed to deploy it. Their work in both urban European contexts (HOOP) and rural African settings (BIO4AFRICA) shows adaptability across very different deployment environments.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MICRO4BIOGAS
  Their largest funded project (EUR 324,894), applying synthetic biology and microbiome research to optimise biogas production — their most technically ambitious work.
• BIO4AFRICA
  Extends their circular bioeconomy expertise beyond Europe to rural Africa, developing replicable small-scale biorefineries for income diversification.
• HOOP
  Focused on the investment and public procurement side of urban circular bioeconomy — shows their financial engineering capabilities alongside technical work.