Minister Heydon launches first-of-its-kind National Biorefinery Pilot Plant and Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative

€9.7 million investment by Government and the European Union in the Irish Bioeconomy

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, today launched the BioScaleUp Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative and officially opened the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant (NBPP) at the National Bioeconomy Campus in Lisheen, Co. Tipperary. This marks a significant milestone for Ireland's bioeconomy, creating added value and sustainable solutions from biological resources.

Opening the facility, Minister Heydon said:

"Today is a landmark day for the Irish bioeconomy with the launch of the €5million BioScaleUp initiative and the opening of the €4.7million National Biorefinery Pilot Plant here at Lisheen in Co. Tipperary. These facilities will help take agricultural, food, forestry and other biobased side streams, often seen as waste and turns them into new valuable products for sectors as diverse as food ingredients, bio-packaging and bioenergy. The infrastructure being funded here by government and the EU gives researchers, SMEs and industry access to the equipment and expertise they need to test, validate and scale new biobased products and processes. This is about turning good ideas into real products, new value chains and new opportunities for rural and regional Ireland."

Substantial biomass resources exist across Ireland's land, sea, and organic waste systems, including approximately 49 million tonnes of solid biomass feedstocks on a dry matter basis and around 58 billion cubic metres of liquid biobased feedstocks. Used sustainably, these resources can support new value chains, new enterprise opportunities and reduce reliance on fossil-derived materials.

The BioScaleUp Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative co-funded through the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund, will demonstrate and scale six innovative biobased technologies at the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant, showing how renewable biological resources, residues and side streams can be converted into higher-value products. These will include food and feed ingredients, proteins and bioactive compounds, natural colours, aromas and flavours, peptides, amino acid ingredients, green chemical inputs for bioplastics and textiles, biomaterials, biomethane and other renewable energy applications.

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment and Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien TD, said:

"The announcement of the BioScaleUp project, supported by the EU Just Transition Fund, further contributes to developing the Midlands as a centre of excellence for the Bioeconomy in Ireland. As Member State for the EU Just Transition Fund, my Department has responsibility for overseeing over 170 projects supported by the EU JTF with these operations valued in excess of €120m. This investment stands to make a meaningful contribution to enhancing the Midlands region as an economically, socially, and environmentally vibrant place to live, work, and visit."

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research and Development, Noel Grealish TD, said:

"Research, Development and Innovation are central to building a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy. The technologies demonstrated through BioScaleUp can help turn agricultural, food, forestry, marine and other side streams into biobased ingredients, materials, chemicals and energy applications with real market potential. This investment will build on over €40million that my Department has invested in bioeconomy research and will support stronger links between research and enterprise and help Irish innovators move closer to commercial deployment."

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Small Businesses and Retail and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for Circular Economy, Alan Dillon TD, said:

"The National Bioeconomy Pilot Plant and BioScaleUp project represents an important step in developing Ireland's work in green business, offering a location that will act as a launchpad for advanced, future-facing businesses that will have a big impact on both our economy and our environment. This is a location for the future, from which I hope and anticipate that the entrepreneurs of Ireland will develop businesses and products that work for us all. I'm delighted to welcome this hugely positive step towards sustainable business practices and technical advancement."

Commenting on the launch, Anne Lanigan, Divisional Manager for Local Enterprise and Regions in Enterprise Ireland, said:

"Enterprise Ireland is delighted to support the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant (NBPP) in Lisheen. Innovation-led companies are essential to future economic growth, and innovation is an increasingly important factor in driving competitiveness and scale. This world class infrastructure in a regional and central location will provide direct access to a scale up facility for Irish enterprises focused on biobased innovation, circular economy solutions and sustainable processing, leading to high value, sustainable jobs. The project is the result of strong collaboration between Tipperary County Council, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Research Performing Organisations, Enterprise Ireland and multiple industry partners from across the ecosystem. It is supported by the Department of Enterprise Tourism and Employment with €4.7m in grant funding through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), administered by Enterprise Ireland."

The new National Biorefinery Pilot Plant provides dedicated open-access pilot-scale infrastructure to help researchers, start-ups, SMEs and established companies test, validate and scale biobased products and innovative processes moving biobased innovation from laboratory scale towards commercial deployment. In practical terms, it will support innovators to move from "grams to kilograms", generate process data at scale, reduce technical and financial risk, and bring new biobased products and processes closer to market.

The launch is also a major step in the transformation of the former Lisheen Mine into a centre for future-facing green innovation, biobased enterprise and regional development. It demonstrates how Just Transition investment can help create new opportunities for communities, primary producers, researchers and businesses while supporting Ireland's climate, agri-food, circular bioeconomy and enterprise objectives.

Councillor John Carroll, Cathaoirleach, Tipperary County Council, said:

"The launch of the NBPP and BioscaleUp project today shows that rural Ireland can lead in addressing global challenges, from climate action to resource efficiency, while creating economic opportunities in our communities. Tipperary County Council is proud to support initiatives that position our County at the forefront of sustainable development and contribute to Irelands transition to a greener more resilient economy."

Director of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, Managing Authority of the EU Just Transition Fund, Clare Bannon, said:

"The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly is pleased to see these important bioeconomy projects launching today. Investments such as those made by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund into large-scale bioeconomy projects demonstrate how EU funding can drive transformative place-based regional development. The significant investments into the circular economy and novel solutions to scale new bio-based industries are helping create new employment opportunities and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of the wider Midlands - shaping a more resilient regional economy and ensuring sustainable livelihoods as communities transition towards a greener, low-carbon future."

Professor Kevin O'Connor, Director, BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre, stated:

"The National Biorefinery Pilot Plant (NBPP) at Lisheen Co. Tipperary is a product of the vision and determination that BiOrbic and the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation have developed for over a decade. BiOrbic is proud to see the launch of the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant, marking a significant milestone in the scaling and translation of research into bio-based innovations"

Dr Ian Archer, Managing Director, James Hutton Institute Scientific Services said:

"The launch of the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant, alongside the progress at BioConnect in Co. Monaghan, shows exactly how serious Ireland is about backing its bioeconomy. Having spent two years as CEO helping to get BioConnect off the ground, it's great to return as an international speaker and see these vital scale-up facilities become a reality for Ireland's bioeconomy. The key now is to continue that momentum with significant added investment to make Ireland a European and Global leader."

Project partners include Tipperary County Council, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Technological University of the Shannon, University of Galway, University College Cork and BiOrbic, Ireland's National Bioeconomy Research Centre funded by Research Ireland, working in partnership with the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation and industry partners including Tirlán, Medite Europe Ltd. and Amu Green.

The launch forms part of a wider programme of bioeconomy events in 2026, leading towards Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2026 which will focus on the hosting of the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026 in the Convention Centre Dublin on 20-21 October 2026 as part of Ireland's Presidency of the EU Council.

BioScaleUp is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme 2021-2027 and administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The National Biorefinery Pilot Plant is supported by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland. Together, the investments represent almost €9.7 million in national and EU-backed support for biobased innovation, regional development and circular bioeconomy delivery at Lisheen.

ENDS

The bioeconomy is already a major economic and employment driver. EU biomass-producing and converting activities supported 17.1 million jobs and generated €863 billion in value added in 2023, equivalent to around 5% of EU GDP. When related services are included, the wider bioeconomy-relevant economy is estimated to generate €1.9 trillion to €2.7 trillion in value added and support between 42 million and 60 million jobs across the EU.

About the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant

• The National Biorefinery Pilot Plant is an open-access pilot biorefinery facility at the National Bioeconomy Campus, Lisheen, Co. Tipperary. It is run by the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation.
• It is designed to help researchers, start-ups, SMEs and industry partners test, validate and scale biobased products and processes.
• The facility supports the conversion of renewable biological resources and side streams into higher-value products including ingredients, bioactives, chemicals, materials and energy applications.

About BioScaleUp

• BioScaleUp is a €5 million Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative project co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme 2021-2027.
• The project will demonstrate and scale six biobased technologies through the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant.
• It is intended to support regional innovation, Just Transition objectives, stronger research-industry links and new market opportunities for sustainable biobased products.

Bioeconomy facts