European Investment Bank financing helps ensure that firms like Jennewein can grow in Europe, rather than taking their innovations to the United States for support and development.
Summary sheet
Jennewein is a highly innovative German biotechnology food company focused on novel production processes for the synthesis of human milk oligosaccharides (functional nutritive sugars) for a wide range of applications, including nutritional, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
The project will cover research and development (R&D) costs, both operational expenditure (OPEX) and capital expenditure (CAPEX) related to the up-scaling of the production of the human milk oligosaccharides, clinical trials for the new products and related R&D activities.
The project mainly concerns investments in R&D that are expected to be carried out in existing facilities already authorised for the same purpose and would therefore not require an environmental impact assessment (EIA) under the Directive 2011/92/EU. Full environmental details will be verified during the appraisal.
The promoter is a private company, not operating in the utilities sector and does not have the status of a contracting authority; thus the project is not subject to the EU directives on procurement.
Documents
News & Stories
Inside the project
How and Why
A breakthrough technology
Why
- Multinationals had tried to figure out how to manufacture oligosaccharides at a price low enough to make mass production feasible. Jennewein actually did it
- To build a R&D centre to expand human milk oligosaccharides product portfolio and increase production capacity
- Fill a market gap as commercial banks are reluctant to invest in an early-stage company in a new and innovative market.
How
- Financing in the form of venture debt with equity-like remuneration
- Because it’s not an actual equity investment, Jennewein’s founders and early investors retain their stake in the company, instead of diluting it.
Sectors & Countries
This is an excellent example of the type of firm we can advance in Europe, and the key is providing the right financing ecosystem.
Related media
Healthy sugar for baby formula
Venture debt keeps the vultures away
Related projects and stories
EIB Group opens country office in Belgium to support strategic investments in Belgian economy
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group has opened a country office in Belgium, dedicated to sustaining strategic financing and sustainable growth in the country as a boost to the potential of the vibrant, dynamic and highly innovative Belgian business environment. The new office will be hosted in the Group’s Permanent EU Representation in Brussels and led by Torsten Brand, a dual Belgian-German national who has worked at the EIB for the past decade. The step by the Luxembourg-based EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), underscores its commitment to supporting the Belgian economy and deepening engagement with local businesses and the public sector.
Cocoa with a conscience: Funding fair and forest‑friendly beans
EIB finance helps Ivory Coast produce sustainable cocoa that avoids deforestation and child labour while improving agricultural practices
Where will we live? The urgent need for affordable housing in Estonia
The European Investment Bank is helping Estonia build and renovate homes so that families, workers, and communities can have affordable places to live.