Premier Tech enters a strategic partnership with an expert in industrial biotechnologies based in Toulouse
Premier Tech announces a strategic partnership with TWB, expert in conducting research and development projects in industrial biotechnologies and designer of sustainable and innovative solutions. By the end of 2023, a dozen team members from its Life Sciences business group will move to TWB’s premises full time. They will benefit from its cutting-edge technology platforms and process development know-how.
This strategic partnership aims to accelerate the development of new natural ingredients and formulas with unique biological activity, capable of being positioned as natural alternatives to antibiotics in animal nutrition and health treatments, and then as functional solutions in the human nutrition and health sector.
The French expertise in the biotechnology sector recognized internationally
Premier Tech, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is one of the six largest Canadian investors in France. Established in France for over 10 years through its various groups, nearly 400 team members work on 12 sites, including eight production sites, as well as an Innovation, Research and Development (IR&D) centre.
Since 2020, Premier Tech has been developing its Life Sciences’ business group, dedicated to biotechnologies. Premier Tech Life Sciences designs its technological platform, based on the exploitation of microorganisms and plant extracts in response to global environmental, food and health issues.
“The dynamism of the French market and the excellence of its scientific and technological expertise are central to our strategy. Premier Tech wishes to strengthen its presence on the territory by investing in innovation and partnerships,” comments Pierre Talbot, senior vice president of innovation at Premier Tech.
A collaboration of common interest with high technological impact
Building on its scientific advances, Premier Tech Life Sciences wishes to accelerate the development of its plant and microbial technology platform and associated ingredients. TWB has been identified by Premier Tech as a partner of great interest thanks to its technological skills, its infrastructures, its state-of-the-art equipment and its ecosystem favourable to the development of collaborations.
“Recognized nationally and internationally as an organization of excellence in industrial biotechnologies, TWB is involved in high-stakes disruptive innovation projects for the development of products and processes from biobased raw materials. This expertise, combined with its know-how in helping us in scaling up to pre-industrial scale — a crucial stage in our development — will be valuable assets. Its consortium of public and private organizations will also play a key role in our development by giving us access to an ecosystem of major players in the industrial biotechnology sector — industrialists, researchers, start-ups and more,” comments Carmen Lapadatescu, vice president science and technology at Premier Tech Life Sciences.
This partnership strengthens TWB’s position as a major player in industrial biotechnologies on a European and global scale. “Our on-site support offer, in place since 2015, has already attracted nine start-ups and can now also accommodate companies wishing to launch new activities and train teams based on TWB’s know-how and expertise,” explains Laurie Rey, business and partnership manager at TWB.
“This collaboration with Premier Tech is part of our desire to internationalize TWB. We are very proud to welcome such a major player to our facilities and to support them in the development of their solutions. At TWB, we believe that collaboration is key to innovation. We are delighted to combine our skills and technologies with those of Premier Tech and look forward to working together on solutions to tackle the major nutritional challenges of this century,” concludes Olivier Rolland, executive director at TWB.
