Bio-economy company BRAIN AG (Biotechnology Research and Information Network AG) has announced the share purchase agreement between BRAIN and Biocatalysts Ltd. The takeover of the majority stake of Biocatalysts’s shares by BRAIN is governed and the transaction will be completed within the first quarter of 2018.

For over 35 years, Biocatalysts has focused on the development, production and distribution of specialty enzymes for various industries such as food and fine chemicals. BRAIN is a leading technology company in the field of industrial biotechnology, developing microorganisms, natural substances and enzymes for the industrial use.

The strategic acquisition of a majority stake in Biocatalysts is intended to accelerate product-driven growth in the fast-growing specialty enzyme market and broaden the portfolio of BRAIN's enzyme business. This synergy, concerning research and development as well as production and global distribution will hugely benefit both companies and their customers. After the completion of the transaction, Biocatalysts Ltd. will continue to operate under the current company name.

Dr. Jürgen Eck, CEO of BRAIN AG, commented: “The new partnership with Biocatalysts is aimed at accelerating product development, production and marketing of innovations in a growing bioeconomy, which includes the field of specialty enzymes. Together we can fuel our complementary enzyme businesses, increase growth margins and strengthen Brain Group’s BioIndustrial segment which aims at marketing own product candidates.”

Stuart West, Managing Director of Biocatalysts Ltd., also said: “Becoming a member of the BRAIN Group is an exciting opportunity to broaden our business in the rapidly growing specialty enzymes markets. BRAIN and Biocatalysts have a complementary product portfolio and also an excellent fit regarding our vision to actively shape the future bioeconomy.”

Andrew Ellis, Technical and Compliance Director of Biocatalysts Ltd., added: “Merging the scientific and technological competencies of Biocatalysts and Brain offers great new technological possibilities. At Biocatalysts, we have strong expertise and capabilities in specialty enzyme development and production at various scales, especially in the food, fine chemical and pharma sectors.”

“We are currently expanding our state-of-the-art production facilities aligned to our continued success in enzyme development. BRAIN is a highly innovative biotechnology pioneer possessing a strong and complementary technology portfolio. Getting direct access to BRAIN’s BioArchive which encompasses a huge variety of enzymes and entire metabolic pathways will fuel our joint activities,” he explains.

Frank Goebel, CFO of BRAIN AG, also said: “BRAIN has taken some strategic steps in recent months to grow its future business. A few weeks ago we founded our US subsidiary BRAIN LLC to internationalize our business operations and improve customer relations in the US. Direct market access and flexible production capacities are also of great importance. Therefore, we have taken a new milestone in our M&A strategy for strengthening our product-driven business segment BioIndustrial. Biocatalysts is a perfect partner to accelerate the work from labs to products and participate in the growth of the specialty enzyme markets.”