Israel-based biotechnology company Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd., has received a grant from the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) to advance its research on a novel technology for delivering ag-biologicals to the agriculture industry. The patented technology, known as MicroFermentor, uses an innovative microbe formulation to multiply beneficial bacteria directly on plant surfaces, reducing application costs and increasing the shelf life of the bacteria.
The MicroFermentor technology has shown promising results in initial experiments and greenhouse validation tests. The grant will support the next phase of development, aiming to bring the technology to commercialization.
The global market for ag-biologicals is growing rapidly, with an annual growth rate of over 13%. This trend is driven by increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices and reduced use of chemical pesticides. The European Union’s Green Deal program aims to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50%, while North America is seeing a growing demand for organic and biological products.
The MicroFermentor technology has the potential to bring new bacterial-based ag-biological products to market, which have previously been limited by high production and application costs, as well as short shelf life. This could increase the diversity of ag-biological products available to farmers.
Lavie Bio plans to implement the MicroFermentor technology on its own product pipeline and share it with collaboration partners. The company’s CEO, Amit Noam, expressed enthusiasm for the development of the technology and praised the support of the IIA.
The MicroFermentor technology has been developed through Lavie Bio’s proprietary BDD platform, powered by Evogene’s MicroBoost AI tech-engine. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the ag-biologicals industry and enhance Lavie Bio’s competitive advantage in the market.
The success of this project highlights the importance of innovation and collaboration in driving sustainable agricultural practices and reducing the environmental impact of farming.
