14-04-2025
Press release
€1 million subsidy for sustainable egg alternative: Kick-off of project EGGcellent at Planet B.io
During a celebratory event on Friday, April 11, at Planet B.io in Delft, Meindert Stolk, Regional Minister for Economy and Innovation of the Province of South Holland, awarded a ~€1 million subsidy cheque to the EGGcellent project. This regional innovation initiative brings together the innovative companies Vivici, Proeon and Applikon, along with Planet B.io, which will focus on developing a sustainable, vegan alternative to chicken eggs, specifically for use in the bakery industry. The funding comes from the “Kansen voor West III” program, supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
A solution to support a challenged egg industry
The need for alternatives to chicken egg protein is rapidly increasing. Globally, egg prices are rising sharply, and supply chains are vulnerable to disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions, animal diseases, or societal concerns about the environment and animal welfare. At the same time, the protein transition - shifting from animal-based to more sustainable plant-based and microbial proteins - calls for innovative solutions. EGGcellent addresses this challenge with a technology-driven approach that is both sustainable and economically viable.
Sustainable innovation with broad impact
The EGGcellent project consists of three interconnected components:
Developing new egg alternatives
Planet B.io community members Vivici and Proeon jointly discovered the potential of new egg alternatives based on a combination of their innovative ingredients. Within the project, these ingredients will be further developed, blended, and tested in a prototype designed to perform optimally as an egg substitute in industrial bakery applications.
Acceleration through the manufacturing industry
South Holland's manufacturing sector helps accelerate these innovations. Getinge, a global medtech company, is contributing its expertise and Applikon bioreactor systems. This allows the consortium to develop more efficiently and enables Getinge to test and market its technologies faster.
Accessible infrastructure via Planet B.io
Through Planet B.io, the advanced bioreactor infrastructure installed during the project will be partially accessible to other small, innovative companies in the region that do not have the resources to obtain this specialized equipment themselves. This extends the project’s reach and strengthens the regional innovation ecosystem. In doing so, the project also contributes significantly to the further development of the Biotech Campus Delft.
Personal endorsement from Regional Minister Meindert Stolk
Meindert Stolk personally handed over the cheque to the involved parties and emphasized the importance of projects like EGGcellent:
“This is a great example of how collaboration between innovative SMEs, the manufacturing industry, and the Planet B.io ecosystem leads to tangible solutions for global challenges. With project EGGcellent, we are not only building a more sustainable food chain but also laying the foundation for the economy of the future.”
Broad regional collaboration and impact
The EGGcellent project centers around two key technologies from the Dutch National Technology Strategy: process technology and intensification, and biomolecular and cellular technologies. The project aligns with the South Holland Growth Agenda and contributes to the goals of the “Kansen voor West” program, such as encouraging SME collaboration and applying new knowledge to societal challenges. Thanks to its unique combination of technology development, manufacturing involvement, and ecosystem enhancement, the project not only strengthens the innovation capacity of South Holland but also delivers sustainable solutions for the future of our food supply.
Involved parties
Planet B.io
Stichting Planet B.io fosters a unique and inspiring ecosystem at Biotech Campus Delft, attracting biotechnology companies eager to innovate and grow. By facilitating collaboration and providing access to essential knowledge and infrastructure, Planet B.io helps businesses accelerate their development. Beyond its local activities, Planet B.io connects companies with a vast network of public and private organizations that support the biotech sector.
Vivici
Vivici, founded in 2023, is on a mission to make the promise of dairy protein from precision fermentation a commercial reality. Based in the Netherlands, Vivici combines breakthrough innovation and deep ingredients industry expertise to help food companies unlock new commercial potential - sustainably. The company is backed by dsm-firmenich, Fonterra, APG (on behalf of ABP), Invest-NL, and InnovationQuarter.
Proeon
Proeon Foods, a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, is an innovative food ingredients company revolutionizing the plant-based protein landscape. Headquartered in Delft, The Netherlands, Proeon develops and manufactures high-performance, sustainable protein ingredients for key sectors such as vegan egg replacement and better-for-you foods. For this initiative Proeon will be responsible for screening, characterization, and biochemical enhancement of plant proteins, leveraging its portfolio of differentiated and highly functional plant-based ingredients. Proeon will also formulate synergistic plant and precision fermentation hybrid systems and lead application trials to validate their performance in industrial baking applications.
Getinge
With a firm belief that every person and community should have access to the best possible care, Getinge provides hospitals and life science institutions with products and solutions aiming to improve clinical results and optimize workflows. The offering includes products and solutions for intensive care, cardiovascular procedures, operating rooms, sterile reprocessing and life science. Getinge employs approximately 12,000 people worldwide and the products are sold in more than 135 countries.