QUT has launched a $18 million upgrade to its Mackay-based QUT Pioneer BioPilot, transforming it into a pilot-scale fermentation facility and advancing Queensland’s aim to become an Asia-Pacific biomanufacturing hub.
Funded by the Australian and Queensland governments and in partnership with Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA), the upgrade delivers a food-grade facility to support new food and bioproduct innovation. The centre will allow companies to work with QUT researchers to develop dietary alternatives and sustainable solutions to agricultural challenges.
“This investment positions Australia as a serious player in the global bioeconomy and, importantly, it will make Mackay one of the driving forces for our future economy,” said senator Corinne Mulholland.
Professor Ian O’Hara, QUT Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy researcher, said the QUT Pioneer BioPilot, formerly the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant, had been pivotal for industry for 15 years, converting biomass such as sugarcane biogases into biofuels, green chemicals and bioproducts.
“The QUT Pioneer BioPilot is pioneering research and innovation in biomanufacturing, working with government and industry to position Queensland as a globally connected innovation hub,” said professor O’Hara.
“Real-world impact is at the heart of QUT’s research commitment, where knowledge and innovation tackle global challenges and deliver locally grounded solutions.”
The facility’s fermentation bioreactors will allow companies to advance product development in the food and beverage sector, fast-tracking ideas from lab to commercial reality. Professor O’Hara said sugarcane was central to this work, with Queensland producing 95 per cent of Australia’s cane.
“This is about turning Queensland’s agricultural strengths into global opportunities, aligning with our bold vision for primary industries in Prosper 2050,” said assistant minister for Primary Industry Development, Water and Western Queensland Sean Dillon.
“The upgraded MRBPP gives local researchers and industry the tools to turn biomass into high-value products – right here in Mackay.”
The facility is already enabling projects, including a $5.5 million partnership with Eclipse Ingredients to commercialise human lactoferrin, a protein with immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.
“The QUT Pioneer BioPilot provides key infrastructure, allowing companies to take new innovations from the lab to pilot-scale. FaBA is investing in precision fermentation so that companies of all sizes can develop new products and ingredients, helping grow Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing sector,” said FaBA director Chris Downs.
“The partnership with QUT is crucial because it bridges the gap between breakthrough science and real-world impact. It allows us to scale our product and process from lab to commercial readiness right here in Queensland, Australia,” said Eclipse Ingredients CEO Siobhan Coster.