MarginUp! shares key scale-up insights at Bio-solutions Symposium in Denmark

MarginUp! took part in the Bio-solutions Scale-up Symposium held on 18 March 2026 at the Danish Technological Institute in Taastrup, where around 90 participants from Denmark, Europe, and South Korea gathered to explore how to scale up biobased innovations. Representing the project, Karen Hamann, Director at the Institute for Food Studies & Agri Industrial Development (IFAU), presented MarginUp!’s experience in developing sustainable value chains based on biomass grown on marginal lands.

Drawing on the seven project use cases, her presentation highlighted both success factors and ongoing challenges, particularly around feedstock availability, logistics, and identifying the right processing scale. A key takeaway was the importance of building viable business models early on. As Hamann noted, “If you take biobased products to the market you need to consider the opportunities in export markets because your local market may be too small or early-stage for delivering a proper business case.” In line with this, MarginUp! findings show that prioritising crops that are easy to integrate into local agricultural systems can significantly accelerate feedstock scale-up, while identifying marketable applications for all biomass fractions strengthens overall value creation.

The symposium also emphasised the importance of early market validation and industry alignment. “It is important to test your prototype biobased product early in the market to find out about the right price and best customer segment,” Hamann explained, reinforcing the need to connect with end-users early to adapt processing to industrial requirements, such as quality standards. At the same time, strategic decisions around sourcing remain critical: “If you want to produce a biobased product you should consider if local feedstock production is feasible compared to importing feedstock.” Together, these insights reflect MarginUp!’s contribution to advancing practical, scalable pathways for biobased solutions.

The presentation showcased at the event is available here.