METGEN OY

Their core work

MetGen is a Finnish biotech SME that develops industrial enzymes for converting lignocellulosic biomass — wood, agricultural residues, and plant fibers — into valuable chemicals, materials, and fuels. Their core business is engineering enzymes (oxidoreductases, xylanases, lignin-degrading enzymes) that break down complex plant polymers in biorefinery processes. They supply enzyme solutions to larger biorefinery and chemical industry consortia, enabling partners to extract sugars, lignin-derived aromatics, and platform chemicals from renewable feedstocks. With 12 H2020 projects and over €12M in EC funding, they are a well-established enzyme technology provider embedded in Europe's bioeconomy value chain.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

MetGen's early H2020 work (2015–2018) was broader and more exploratory, spanning biobutanol production (ButaNexT), bio-based plastic packaging (ReTAPP with HMF/PEF chemistry), and general enzyme applications for biomass processing. From 2018 onward, their focus sharpened dramatically toward lignin valorization, advanced protein engineering, and xylan-specific enzyme discovery — reflecting the bioeconomy's shift from simple sugar extraction to unlocking value from the harder-to-process lignin and hemicellulose fractions. Their most recent project (EnXylaScope, 2021) signals a move toward computational enzyme design and big-data-driven bioprospecting, suggesting they are investing in next-generation enzyme discovery methods.

MetGen is moving from general biomass enzymes toward computationally designed, highly specific enzymes for lignin and xylan — positioning themselves as a precision biocatalysis partner for advanced biorefineries.

How they like to work

MetGen operates predominantly as a specialist technology partner rather than a consortium leader, coordinating only 2 of their 12 projects while contributing enzyme expertise to 10 others. With 94 unique consortium partners across 19 countries, they maintain a broad and diverse network, suggesting they are a sought-after enzyme technology provider that different consortia recruit for their specialized capabilities. Their participation spans small research actions (MSCA-RISE) to large demonstration projects (BBI-IA-DEMO with SWEETWOODS at €5.3M), showing flexibility in adapting their contribution to projects of varying scale and ambition.

MetGen has built a substantial European network of 94 unique partners across 19 countries, reflecting their role as a go-to enzyme technology provider in biorefinery consortia. Their partnerships span from academic research groups (B-LigZymes, MSCA) to large industrial demonstration projects (SWEETWOODS, BBI), giving them connections across the full innovation chain.

What sets them apart

MetGen occupies a rare niche as an SME that bridges enzyme science and industrial biorefinery applications — they don't just discover enzymes, they develop them for commercial-scale biomass processing. Their combination of protein engineering capability with deep integration into Europe's biorefinery ecosystem (94 partners, 12 projects) makes them unusually well-connected for a small company. For consortium builders, MetGen brings both the enzyme technology and the network to de-risk biorefinery projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SWEETWOODS
  By far their largest project (€5.3M EC funding), a BBI demonstration-scale effort to produce high-purity lignin and platform chemicals from wood — represents their technology at near-commercial scale.
• APEX
  One of only two projects MetGen coordinated, focused on advanced process economics through oxidoreductases — their core enzyme class and a signal of where they lead rather than follow.
• EnXylaScope
  Their most recent project (2021), combining big-data, computational modelling, and bioprospecting for xylan enzymes — marks their strategic shift toward data-driven enzyme discovery.