A multimillion-dollar pile of abandoned stainless steel equipment now sits against a laboratory wall in Stockport, England, serving as a monument to failed experiments. C3 Biotech shelved the sophisticated machinery after discovering a cheaper path to turn potato peels and sugar beet pulp into acrylic glass, one that relies on ordinary plastic tubs.
Europe’s innovation gap has widened for over a decade. Investment, research output, and productivity growth all trail the United States and China, threatening the continent’s grip on automotive, pharmaceutical, and machinery leadership.
Enter SPRIND, Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation. The agency funds high-risk ventures across borders with unusual speed, averaging just 14 days from application to signed contract. A McKinsey report warned Europe would need nearly $1 trillion annually in added investment to remain competitive.
SPRIND’s mission targets problems so large they could spawn entirely new markets. Since launching in 2020, it has received 4,740 submissions and funded 376 teams. Failure rates are expected to run high by design.
The inspiration traces to DARPA, the American defense research arm that incubated the internet. German public funding typically avoids long-shot ventures, but SPRIND head of challenges Jano Costard wants researchers to have freedom that conventional venture capital would never provide.
C3 Biotech’s three-year biomanufacturing challenge sought industrial-scale conversion of waste streams. The breakthrough came from salt-loving bacteria feeding on potato chip starch, producing a compound called Citrasyn. Prototypes now include toy bricks, figurines, and translucent hearts.
Last month, SPRIND awarded up to €26.5 million to 10 teams across five countries for frontier artificial intelligence development. Sweden’s Vinnova agency has partnered with SPRIND on anti-drone technology. France announced plans for its own agency, while the Netherlands eyes a similar model.
After 180 days of continuous production, C3 Biotech is in talks with corporations about commercialization. The discoveries emerging from these discount tubs could underpin Europe’s future industrial base.
