What is the Joint Research Centre Breda?
The JRCB is a noise-free research environment: a facility fully equipped for applied laboratory research. Classrooms are not allowed inside, allowing experiments—which can sometimes take days or weeks—to proceed uninterrupted. Researchers and students have the peace, time, and infrastructure to carefully set up, monitor, and analyze their experiments.
Within the JRCB, you’ll find a rich laboratory landscape with various types of labs. Biolabs with ML1 and ML2 status enable safe working with various microorganisms. There are also organic chemistry labs, including one focused on electrochemistry. This combination makes the center ideally suited for biochemistry, smart fermentation, and integrated materials research.
By bringing different disciplines and research groups together under one roof, a dynamic research environment is created. Researchers have insight into each other’s projects, see techniques in practice, and can easily request advice. This accelerates the development of new methods and ensures greater coherence between biochemical research, energy research, and materials innovation.
Focus: Biochemistry, Smart Fermentation & Materials Research
At the Joint Research Centre Breda, you will focus on applied research in a biobased laboratory, including:
- Molecular biology in modern biolabs with ML1 and ML2 status, suitable for working safely with microorganisms
- Smart fermentation: development, optimization, and scaling up of fermentation processes
- Research on mycelium, pigment production, PHA/PLA production and circular chemistry
- Organic chemistry and electrochemistry, linked to biobased and circular applications
- Analytical chemistry with advanced equipment, such as gas chromatography (GC) for analyzing fermentation products and other components
- Materials research on biobased building blocks, biochar, and other innovative materials
- Multidisciplinary projects integrating biology, chemistry, energy, and materials research
This mix of biochemistry, smart fermentation, biobased laboratory infrastructure, and materials research makes the JRCB an ideal place to develop, test, and optimize innovative solutions.
Connected to education and research
The JRCB is strongly linked to the MNEXT and Avans networks. Research, education, and practice seamlessly integrate:
- Professors and research groups
Within the JRCB, various research groups share laboratory space and equipment, from fermenters to advanced gas chromatography. This combines expertise in biochemistry, energy, biobased construction, and materials research in joint projects. The diversity of disciplines facilitates cross-pollination and accelerates the development of new biobased and circular applications.
- Education: MBO–HBO professionals
As a student at the JRCB, you literally work among researchers. MBO and HBO students participate in ongoing research projects, for example, on smart fermentation, GC analyses, or biobased materials. This way, you learn to work in a realistic biobased laboratory, with professional equipment and in accordance with current safety and quality standards.
- External Partners
Companies, government agencies, and knowledge institutions come to the JRCB with questions about biochemistry, smart fermentation, biobased materials, or analytical challenges. Thanks to the combination of various labs, shared high-tech equipment, and multidisciplinary teams, complete projects can be developed: from concept and initial pilot to validated method and applicable results.
The advantage of combining disciplines
One of the JRCB’s greatest strengths is the integration of biochemistry, smart fermentation, energy research, and materials research into a single biobased laboratory. Because everyone works at the same location, researchers have the opportunity to learn from each other and share challenges they encounter while experimenting.
For example, biologists seeking to extract pigments from fungi collaborate with chemists to develop efficient extraction strategies. Energy researchers collaborate with specialists in biochar or hydrogen production. In fermentation research, expertise in GC analysis can be directly applied to develop and validate new analytical methods.
This way, knowledge and methods related to smart fermentation, biochemical analyses, and materials research are retained within the JRCB and gradually expanded.
What can you do at the Joint Research Centre Breda?
As an organization, student, or research partner, you can utilize the JRCB for:
- Biochemical research and process development
- Smart fermentation: design, optimization, and monitoring of fermentation processes
- Materials research into biobased building blocks, biochar, and other sustainable materials
- Analyse and identify products components with different methodology such us liquid or gas chromatography, determine the material properties with thermal analysis techniques or mechanical test set-up and more.
- Validation and scale-up of laboratory methods in a professional environment
- Multidisciplinary research projects that link biochemistry, smart fermentation, energy, and materials research
- Education and training of (future) professionals in a realistic biobased laboratory environment
Submit your research question to the Joint Research Centre Breda
Are you working on biochemistry, smart fermentation, or biobased materials and looking for a professional biobased laboratory for applied research? Do you want to develop a new method, optimize a fermentation process, or conduct materials research?
Contact the Joint Research Centre Breda to:
- explore your question;
- discuss opportunities for research, method development, or collaboration;
- join ongoing programs in biochemistry, smart fermentation, biobased laboratories, and materials research.
The Joint Research Centre Breda accelerates the development of sustainable, circular, and biobased solutions – together with you.
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