Bürkert Fluid Control Systems invests in Green Elephant Biotech

The strategic partnership with the start-up aims to enable resource-saving bioreactors for the pharmaceutical industry

Giessen, February 13, 2025 - Bürkert Fluid Control Systems has become a strategic investor in Giessen-based biotech startup Green Elephant Biotech to jointly develop more efficient, flexible and sustainable cell cultivation processes for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. The aim of the partnership is to enable more cost-effective therapeutics and drive innovation for more sustainable biopharmaceutical production.

Sustainable cell cultivation through innovative technology

Founded in 2021, Green Elephant Biotech has developed CellScrew®, a new cell cultivation system that offers significant advantages over conventional cell culture vessels. The patented technology enables a significantly larger growth surface for adherent cell cultures with the same volume. In addition, CellScrew® is manufactured using a 3D printing process from polylactide (PLA) - a biopolymer derived from plants.

Traditional cell culture vessels are large and are often only used once and then disposed of or incinerated. This causes considerable amounts of CO₂ emissions.

Felix Wollenhaupt, Co-Founder Green Elephant Biotech

By using PLA, the carbon footprint can be reduced by around 90 percent compared to conventional systems.

Bürkert contributes technical expertise

Bürkert's involvement not only provides Green Elephant Biotech with financial support, but also access to technical components and process control systems. The aim is to further develop CellScrew® into a fully-fledged bioreactor that automatically controls liquid exchange and gas control.

We see great potential in Green Elephant Biotech's innovative cell culture systems to revolutionize production processes in the industry.

Georg Stawowy, CEO of Bürkert Fluid Control Systems

Green Elephant Biotech co-founder Dr. Joel Eichmann also emphasizes the importance of the cooperation: "Together with Bürkert, we want to develop a cost-efficient, reliable and sustainable production platform for the pharmaceutical industry. This offers great opportunities for personalized medicine in particular."

Central Hessen as an innovation location for biotech and pharma

Bürkert's investment in Green Elephant Biotech shows once again that Central Hessen is an important location for innovative biotech and pharmaceutical start-ups. The university network of the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM), the Justus Liebig University Giessen and the Philipps University Marburg in particular repeatedly produces promising start-ups that provide important impetus for the industry with their developments. Green Elephant Biotech is one of a series of successful spin-offs that are regarded as flagship projects for Central Hesse as a pharmaceutical location and further establish the region as a leading center for biopharmaceutical innovations.

Sustainability as a common goal

In addition to the economic scaling of sustainable cell culture technologies, the partnership is part of a larger vision: with its developments, Green Elephant Biotech is pursuing the goal of creating a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cell cultivation systems. "Supporting large companies in the green transition requires new approaches, courageous founders and experienced partners from industry," Wollenhaupt continues. The collaboration with Bürkert is an important step in driving forward the transformation to more sustainable bioprocesses in the pharmaceutical industry.