The Biofactory Competence Center (HEIA-FR) at the service of start-ups

Skills and infrastructure

Develop bioprocesses for your start-up

Bioprocess engineering

The Biofactory Competence Center (BCC) is a privileged partner for research and innovation in bioprocess engineering. The unclassified cleanrooms available within the BCC provide the perfect environment for designing and deploying biotech manufacturing processes, ready to be transferred to a GMP environment for future production of high-quality clinical products.

Access to advanced infrastructures for start-ups

The BCC includes laboratories for animal cell cultures, as well as laboratories for microbial cultures with bacteria, yeast, fungi or even algae. Our bioreactors typically have volumes of 1 to 3L. The BCC also includes laboratories for the purification of recombinant proteins by filtration or chromatography, as well as numerous analytical facilities. The BCC laboratories are at biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) to enable them to carry out research projects in the field of antibiotic resistance.

Biotechnology engineering skills

The Biofactory Competence Center team, made up of highly qualified scientists and engineers, provides expertise and industrial experience in the following areas:

  • Aseptic production techniques and good manufacturing practice (GMP)
  • Culture in bioreactors with microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts)
  • Culture with suspended or adherent animal cells
  • Biotechnology process technology transfer and scale-up
  • Protein purification by centrifugation, filtration or tangential filtration
  • Protein purification by chromatography
  • Chromatography column packages
  • Development of medical implants
  • Production and purification of bacteriophages
  • Technologies analytiques des procédés (PAT)
How does it work?

We initially work with industrial partners, especially start-ups, as part of projects funded by Innosuisse or a research mandate. The aim is typically to develop or optimize a biotechnological process before transferring it to a GMP environment.

We also offer training courses in various fields, including aseptic work techniques, microorganism cultivation in bioreactors and recombinant protein purification.

Contact

Biofactory Competence Center (BCC) – HEIA-FR

Carmen Jungo
Director
+41 26 429 66 22
info@bcc.ch

Passage du Cardinal 13b
1700 Fribourg

Access to the BCC