EU gives nod to state aid for OSIRIS

The programme, coordinated by the Soufflet group in association with the company Maguin and a French research laboratory, aims to develop new biotechnology products and processes with a view in particular to improving the use of agricultural feedstocks for generating biofuels, and animal nutrition.

In total OSIRIS will spend €77 million over eight years to produce tools for the rapid selection of micro-organisms, develop solid-state fermentation processes and create specific biotechnology products to improve yields in biofuel production from wheat and maize in particular.

This should also boost the performance of cereals, oilseeds and protein crops used for animal feed and increase the yield of co-products of biofuel production.

The programme is coordinated by the Soufflet group, a firm specialising in the collection and transformation of agricultural resources, which will cooperate with Maguin SAS, a processing and construction company.

The Commission said its analysis shows OSIRIS is not market-driven because the research findings will be disseminated and will benefit other parties, including competitors. The knowledge disseminated will be linked in particular to advances in solid-state fermentation. This promising technology has been neglected because of technical difficulties, but offers an alternative to liquid-state fermentation.