PNO CONSULTANTS

Their core work

PNO Consultants is a French innovation consultancy specializing in EU funding acquisition and project management for bioeconomy and agri-food sectors. They help research consortia navigate grant applications, dissemination, and exploitation of results — acting as the business and strategy bridge between technical partners and EU programme requirements. Their project portfolio shows deep involvement in biomass valorization, bio-based chemicals, alternative proteins, and microalgae, where they contribute market analysis, business planning, and commercialization strategy rather than laboratory research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early projects (2016–2018) split between energy efficiency in buildings (BUILDINTEREST) and second-generation biorefinery (BIOSKOH), with PNO serving mostly as a third party — a lighter advisory role. From 2019 onward, they shifted to full participant status in flagship bio-based projects: insect proteins (FARMYNG), biobased solvents (ReSolute), and microalgae bioactives (SCALE). This evolution shows both a deepening commitment to the bioeconomy space and a move from peripheral advisory work toward more substantive project engagement.

PNO is concentrating on industrial scale-up of bio-based alternatives (solvents, proteins, algae compounds), suggesting they are positioning as the go-to commercialization partner for bioeconomy flagship demonstrations.

How they like to work

PNO never leads consortia — they join as participants or third parties, which is typical of consultancies that provide horizontal services (business planning, dissemination, exploitation) rather than core R&D. With 103 unique partners across 19 countries, they operate as a network hub, connecting to a wide variety of organizations across projects rather than forming repeat partnerships. This broad reach makes them useful as a consortium partner who brings cross-project knowledge and industry contacts.

Extensive European network spanning 103 unique partners across 19 countries, built through eight bioeconomy and energy projects. Their Paris base and pan-European reach make them well-connected in Western European innovation ecosystems.

What sets them apart

PNO stands out as a consultancy that has moved beyond generic grant-writing into genuine bioeconomy domain expertise — they understand both the science (biomass, fermentation, algae cultivation) and the business case (market entry, scale-up economics). For consortium builders, their value is dual: they handle the business and exploitation work packages while bringing a network of 100+ prior partners to the table. Unlike pure research organizations, they think in terms of market readiness and commercialization pathways.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FARMYNG
  Largest funding (EUR 303K) — flagship demonstration of industrial-scale insect protein production for feed and pet food markets
• ReSolute
  Full-scale production of Cyrene, a non-toxic biobased solvent from sawdust — directly replacing hazardous petrochemical solvents
• SCALE
  Most recent project (2021), targeting high-value microalgae compounds for food, feed, and cosmetics — signals their current strategic direction