Transforming Research into Reality at the New National Biorefinery Pilot Plant

Transforming Research into Reality at the New

National Biorefinery Pilot Plant

Last Thursday, June 25th 2026, marked a monumental milestone for the Irish bioeconomy. BiOrbic were incredibly proud to celebrate the official launch of the €4.7 million National Biorefinery Pilot Plant (NBPP) and the €5 million BioScaleUp initiative at the National Bioeconomy Campus in Lisheen, Co. Tipperary.

This combined €9.7 million investment, officially launched by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, is the culmination of a vision that BiOrbic and partners, Irish Bioeconomy Foundation (IBF), have championed for over a decade. Until now, researchers have been pioneering breakthroughs at a laboratory scale; with the NBPP, this state-of-the-art facility provides the essential open-access infrastructure needed to take those innovations from academic research to commercial deployment.

Scaling Up Ireland’s Abundant Natural Wealth

Ireland is rich in biological resources, producing millions of tonnes of solid and liquid biomass annually. Historically, agricultural, food and forestry side-streams have not used biotechnology and biomanufacturing to diversify their product portfolio. The new pilot plant will change this.

By offering dedicated, open-access pilot-scale infrastructure, the NBPP allows researchers, start-ups, SMEs and major industry partners to test, validate and scale processes that turn virgin biomass and side-streams into high-value products. The bio-based products will replace fossil-based products as sustainable alternatives across diverse sectors; including bio-based packaging, natural pigments, green chemicals and food-and-feed ingredients, while simultaneously boosting renewable energy outputs like biomethane.

BioScaleUp: The Bioeconomy in Action

The BioScaleUp initiative is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund.

The initiative will allow researchers to scale up biotechnologies from lab scale (TRL 1-4) to pilot scale (TRL 5-7) directly at the new pilot plant. BiOrbic Director Kevin O’ Connor is the lead investigator for this initiative, and BiOrbic alongside industry partners and DAFM are co-funding six projects. BioScaleUp will develop new value chains, such as utilising simple sugars, food processing side streams and aquaculture waste streams to cultivate duckweed and macroalgae for new food and feed applications.

A Just Transition 

The transformation of the former Lisheen Mine into a thriving, future-facing hub for green innovation is a shining example of what the circular bioeconomy can achieve.

The establishment of the NBPP at Lisheen is part of a wider bioeconomy campus development by Tipperary County Council and other partners. This campus has already attracted companies such as AQS Environmental and Naringtech, bringing vital jobs to the local community. Local engineering and service companies have also worked on the site as part of the NBPP development, and the plant will continue to support local job creation as it matures.

As Ireland prepares to host the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Dublin this October during our presidency of the EU Council, the launch of this plant positions the country as a serious actor in the development of biomanufacturing capability – a key pillar of President Ursula von der Leyen’s strategy for European competitiveness and autonomy.