Periodic Reporting for period 2 - N-Spire (Novel and Scalable microbial products for REgenerative agriculture)
Reporting period: 2024-10-01 to 2025-05-31
The European farming sector is facing significant challenges as new regulations mandate a reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. While these measures aim to protect the environment and promote sustainable agricultural practices, they could inadvertently result in reduced crop yields and compromised crop quality. This situation highlights an urgent need for innovative solutions that support both environmental goals and agricultural productivity.
Microbial biostimulants are emerging as a promising, sustainable alternative to traditional chemical inputs. However, the adoption of these products in row crop farming remains limited due to several challenges: high costs, short shelf lives, inconsistent performance in field conditions, and formulations incompatible with current farming practices.
To address these issues, N-Fix has developed the N-Spire project, an EIC-funded initiative aimed at transforming agriculture by developing a manufacturing platform which enables the valorisation of low value biomass as substrate for the cultivation of beneficial microorganisms in a Solid-State Fermentation (SSF). This innovative process enables the production of cost-effective, scalable microorganisms that enhance soil health and promote sustainable farming practices.
The expected impacts of N-Spire are profound, including:
Reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Improving soil health while supporting sustainable crop productivity.
Valorizing agricultural residues by converting them into valuable biostimulants.
By tackling both environmental and agricultural challenges, N-Spire is poised to significantly contribute to a greener, more resilient European farming system, helping ensure long-term food security while promoting regenerative agricultural practices.
Microbial biostimulants are emerging as a promising, sustainable alternative to traditional chemical inputs. However, the adoption of these products in row crop farming remains limited due to several challenges: high costs, short shelf lives, inconsistent performance in field conditions, and formulations incompatible with current farming practices.
To address these issues, N-Fix has developed the N-Spire project, an EIC-funded initiative aimed at transforming agriculture by developing a manufacturing platform which enables the valorisation of low value biomass as substrate for the cultivation of beneficial microorganisms in a Solid-State Fermentation (SSF). This innovative process enables the production of cost-effective, scalable microorganisms that enhance soil health and promote sustainable farming practices.
The expected impacts of N-Spire are profound, including:
Reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Improving soil health while supporting sustainable crop productivity.
Valorizing agricultural residues by converting them into valuable biostimulants.
By tackling both environmental and agricultural challenges, N-Spire is poised to significantly contribute to a greener, more resilient European farming system, helping ensure long-term food security while promoting regenerative agricultural practices.
The N-Spire project continues to deliver on its technical milestones, advancing towards the development of microbial biostimulants derived from agricultural residues.
Manufacturing technology development
The pilot-scale manufacturing system has reached key deployment stages. The solid-state fermentation units are now fully operational, and multiple scale-up trials have successfully demonstrated high yields under process conditions that can be transferred to commercial scale. Additional fermentation runs will optimise the parameters for successful results, which already confirm both the technical robustness and scalability of the production platform.
The integrated manufacturing process (pretreatment and SSF) has been proved at pilot scale.
It was demonstrated that aseptic transfer is feasible at current scale which enables the production of Plant Growth Promoter Microorganism with a titre greater than 10⁹ CFU/g d.m. and a purity exceeding 98%.
Product Formulation and Optimization
Shelf-life experiments have been carried out on microorganisms’ strains produced on the platform and have demonstrated increased resilience to prolonged storage compared with commercial reference products. -
Greenhouse Trials and Field Testing
Greenhouse and field trials remain an integral part of product development. Two greenhouse trials have been completed so far in 2025, with two currently ongoing; two more are planned for later in the year and two additional trials are planned in 2026 with a focus on drought stress tolerance.
Field trials are progressing, with 14 trials across 5 countries. These trials are generating valuable insights into optimal microbial strain combinations for improved nutrient-use efficiency, root development, and stress resilience, especially under variable climatic and soil conditions.
Manufacturing technology development
The pilot-scale manufacturing system has reached key deployment stages. The solid-state fermentation units are now fully operational, and multiple scale-up trials have successfully demonstrated high yields under process conditions that can be transferred to commercial scale. Additional fermentation runs will optimise the parameters for successful results, which already confirm both the technical robustness and scalability of the production platform.
The integrated manufacturing process (pretreatment and SSF) has been proved at pilot scale.
It was demonstrated that aseptic transfer is feasible at current scale which enables the production of Plant Growth Promoter Microorganism with a titre greater than 10⁹ CFU/g d.m. and a purity exceeding 98%.
Product Formulation and Optimization
Shelf-life experiments have been carried out on microorganisms’ strains produced on the platform and have demonstrated increased resilience to prolonged storage compared with commercial reference products. -
Greenhouse Trials and Field Testing
Greenhouse and field trials remain an integral part of product development. Two greenhouse trials have been completed so far in 2025, with two currently ongoing; two more are planned for later in the year and two additional trials are planned in 2026 with a focus on drought stress tolerance.
Field trials are progressing, with 14 trials across 5 countries. These trials are generating valuable insights into optimal microbial strain combinations for improved nutrient-use efficiency, root development, and stress resilience, especially under variable climatic and soil conditions.
The rebranding of N-Fix to Zymofix has been finalised, which was necessary to better reflect the company’s scope beyond biological nitrogen fixation.
On the commercial front, N-Fix has entered into early-stage agreements with an agri-cooperatives and international agrochemical distributors. These partnerships will facilitate downstream testing, co-development, and eventual market rollout. Successful product commercialization will also depend on further field validation and regulatory alignment.
Regulatory strategy has been sharpened to prioritise biostimulants, given their faster approval timelines under the EU Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) while continuing exploratory work on biocontrols. This focus is strategic, recognising the greater complexity and uncertainty still surrounding microbial biocontrol registration within Europe. Continued support for harmonised regulatory frameworks, IPR protection, and cross-border market entry will be vital to bring these innovations to market.
On the commercial front, N-Fix has entered into early-stage agreements with an agri-cooperatives and international agrochemical distributors. These partnerships will facilitate downstream testing, co-development, and eventual market rollout. Successful product commercialization will also depend on further field validation and regulatory alignment.
Regulatory strategy has been sharpened to prioritise biostimulants, given their faster approval timelines under the EU Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) while continuing exploratory work on biocontrols. This focus is strategic, recognising the greater complexity and uncertainty still surrounding microbial biocontrol registration within Europe. Continued support for harmonised regulatory frameworks, IPR protection, and cross-border market entry will be vital to bring these innovations to market.