About us

About us

We are an open-access research, development and demonstration biorefining centre and a subsidiary company of the University of York. We were founded from a unique partnership between two well-established research centres at the University of York: the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence and the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products. This partnership means that we can apply technologies derived from both biology and chemistry to optimise and process biorenewable raw materials for the production of chemicals, materials and fuels.

From our broad network of partnerships we can link our clients with expertise and equipment within the University of York as well as other Higher Educational institutions, both on a national and international level. We are part of the BioPilotsUK - a collaboration created by four established biorefining open-access centres who recognise the importance of partnerships to develop UK bio-based value chains. We work at the interface between academia and industry to develop, scale-up and help commercialise bio-based products and processes for the market place. 

With biologists, chemists, and innovation advisors we offer a unique combination of multi-disciplinary expertise coupled with pilot-scale processing capabilities in one coordinated centre. Covering a broad spectrum of biorefining technologies, from feedstock assessment to product evaluation we specialise in making the most out of biorenewable materials. We develop methods at the laboratory scale, and scale-up processes to demonstrate their commercial potential, typically at the 1-100 litre or 1-100 kg scale. 

Offering a full support package, we have a team of innovation advisers who offer market research analysis, regulatory scanning, specialist sector business advice, bid development, commercialisation and project management for those looking to develop their bio-based products or processes further than the laboratory. We also support clients to build partnerships or collaborations, develop entrepreneurship skills, offer communication and marketing advice and help access overseas markets for clients wanting to build bio-based supply chains and inward investment.