Biomanufacturing go to NEXT STAGE.
April 1, 2025: AIST Launches the Biomanufacturing and Process Research Center
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) is consolidating its research efforts on bio-manufacturing using microorganisms and plants to establish a new base: the Biomanufacturing and Process Research Center (BPRC).
In response to the global and domestic demand to revitalize the bio-manufacturing industry, as outlined in the Bioeconomy Strategy enacted in June 2024, AIST is swiftly addressing these industrial needs. It has been developing a dedicated bio-manufacturing hub to serve as a counterpart contributing to the bio-transformation (BX) of Japanese industries. Starting April 2025, approximately 70 researchers will begin their activities under the newly launched BPRC.
The center’s predecessor, the Bioproduction Research Institute (BPRI), boasts the largest number of microbial Principal Investigators in Japan, leading to an active research environment for microbial production. The BPRI institute has played a central role in many national projects, demonstrating its remarkable achievements. Moreover, the institute has world-class accomplishments in discovering new microorganisms for bio-manufacturing. By integrating this global-level microbial discovery expertise with newly established state-of-the-art bio-manufacturing research facilities and Japan’s fastest genome analysis system, the center will accelerate and advance microbial bio-manufacturing.
Regarding plant-based bio-manufacturing, AIST has already engaged in numerous national projects, leveraging its plant factory in Hokkaido to conduct collaborative research with some companies. By utilizing this plant factory and its facilities in Tsukuba for enhancing plant functionality, the center will vigorously promote the development of new plant-based applications and plant bio-manufacturing.
In April 2025, AIST will begin its activities as Japan’s hub for bio-manufacturing. Through research and development, the BPRC aims to contribute to the industrialization of bio-manufacturing and advance the realization of a bioeconomy society in Japan.
