VIAZYM BV

Their core work

ViaZym BV is a Dutch enzyme technology company specializing in the design and application of biocatalytic systems for industrial chemical synthesis. Their core work involves engineering multi-enzyme cascade reactions — sequences of enzymatic steps that convert raw materials into valuable biobased chemicals without the waste and energy costs of conventional chemistry. Based in Delft, they operate at the interface between academic enzyme research and industrial production, translating laboratory discoveries into scalable, commercially viable processes. In both EU projects, they have served as an industry host for early-stage researchers, meaning they provide hands-on industrial training environments and applied research context for doctoral-level scientists.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first project (BIOCASCADES, 2015–2018), ViaZym's contribution centered on the foundational challenge of making biocatalytic cascades sustainable and scalable — the engineering problem of getting multiple enzymes to work together reliably at production scale. By their second project (INTERfaces, 2020–2024), the vocabulary had broadened significantly: enzyme immobilization, biorefineries, biomaterials, and biobased chemicals entered the picture, indicating that ViaZym's work evolved from proving cascade reactions work to integrating them into full biorefinery value chains and exploring new output categories like biomaterials. The trajectory is one of application expansion — the same core enzymatic toolkit applied to increasingly diverse industrial end-goals.

ViaZym is moving from pure reaction engineering toward full biorefinery integration, which positions them as a potential partner for any consortium targeting bio-based manufacturing, circular chemistry, or enzyme-enabled materials production.

How they like to work

ViaZym participates exclusively as a consortium member — never as project coordinator — which is characteristic of focused industrial SMEs that join training networks to provide applied context rather than to lead administrative processes. Their participation in MSCA Industrial Training Networks (ITN/EID) means they specifically function as industry hosts for PhD researchers, a role that demands genuine technical depth rather than project management capacity. With 26 unique partners across 7 countries across just 2 projects, they engage in broad, diverse consortia rather than narrow repeat partnerships.

ViaZym has built connections with 26 distinct consortium partners across 7 countries through just two projects, a relatively wide network for a small company with a narrow technical focus. Their partnerships span academic institutions and industrial players across Northwestern Europe, consistent with the MSCA training network model that deliberately mixes universities and companies across borders.

What sets them apart

ViaZym occupies a rare niche as an industrial SME in Delft — one of Europe's strongest biotech clusters — with demonstrated, project-verified expertise specifically in enzyme cascade engineering rather than general biotechnology consulting. Unlike university groups working on the same topics, ViaZym brings an industrial application perspective: the question they answer is not "can this enzyme reaction work?" but "can it work at scale, economically, in a real process?" Their consistent role as an MSCA industry host also signals a commitment to training the next generation of industrial biocatalysis scientists, which makes them a credible and attractive partner for academically-led consortia seeking industrial validation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INTERfaces
  The largest of ViaZym's projects by budget (EUR 531,240) and the one that fully reveals their technical breadth — spanning enzyme immobilization, biomaterials, and biorefinery integration within a single heterogeneous biocatalysis training network.
• BIOCASCADES
  ViaZym's entry into EU-funded research, establishing their credentials in sustainable and scalable biocatalytic cascades at a time when this field was emerging as a serious industrial alternative to conventional chemical synthesis.