eversyn receives federal KMU-innovativ funding to advance complex Human Milk Oligosaccharides
Magdeburg, June 2026 – eversyn, a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, has received funding support from the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF, now Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt – BMFTR) under the KMU-innovativ Bioeconomy program to advance its complex Human Milk Oligosaccharide (cHMO) project. This grant supports eversyn’s mission to make complex glycans broadly accessible for real-world health and nutrition applications and underlines the strategic importance of glycan-enabled innovation within Germany’s bioeconomy agenda.
Image: Complex human milk oligosaccharides (cHMOs), naturally present in breast milk, are essential building blocks for infant gut health and immune development — the molecules at the center of eversyn's research
Bridging the gap in complex HMO accessibility
Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) are increasingly recognized for their essential role in early-life development, particularly in shaping the gut microbiome, supporting immune function and protecting against infections. While several simpler HMOs are already available on the market, the structurally more complex HMOs remain difficult to access at scale, despite their rich and largely untapped bioactive potential.
eversyn’s patented cell-free multi-enzyme cascade technology addresses these bottlenecks by enabling the design and optimization of complex biosynthetic pathways outside living cells. This approach allows for efficient and sustainable production of high-value, structurally defined glycans, including complex HMOs, and opens up new possibilities for their use in nutrition, microbiome modulation and future therapeutic concepts.
Dr. Thomas Rexer, CEO and co-founder of eversyn, stated: “The KMU-innovativ funding is an important milestone for our cHMO program. It provides us with the resources to further develop our cell-free HMO platform and to translate complex HMOs from a scientific vision into scalable, real-world solutions. The positive evaluation by the KMU-innovativ expert jury is also a strong validation of both the relevance of complex HMOs as a topic and of our technological approach.”
Investor support, public funding and scientific backing
The KMU-innovativ: Bioeconomy program is designed to support technologically demanding and high-risk R&D projects by small and medium-sized enterprises that use biological knowledge in innovative ways and contribute to a sustainable, bio-based economy. In eversyn’s case, the grant complements earlier public support and investor backing for the company’s broader glycan platform, which has been recognized by financial and scientific stakeholders as a promising basis for next-generation functional ingredients and biopharmaceutical applications.
“Public innovation funding plays a crucial role in enabling deep-tech companies like ours to move from concept to application,” added Rachel Thu Nguyen, CBO and co-founder of eversyn. “The KMU-innovativ grant from BMFTR allows us to accelerate our complex HMO development and to work even more closely with industrial and academic partners on bringing the full functional potential of these molecules into practice.”
Technology transfer through fundamental research
eversyn is a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Magdeburg, where the underlying technology was developed at the interface of bioprocess engineering, systems biology and glycoscience. The company’s emergence from this research environment demonstrates how fundamental science in enzyme networks and process systems engineering can be transferred into industrially relevant solutions for the food, nutrition and pharmaceutical sectors.
With the support of BMFTR and the KMU-innovativ Bioeconomy program, eversyn will expand its work on complex HMOs, deepen collaborations with partners and contribute to the development of innovative, glycan-based approaches that support human health across different stages of life.
Looking Ahead
The KMU-innovativ grant will enable eversyn to advance its cHMO strain- and process-development activities, broaden its application-focused research and strengthen its network of partners along the HMO and glycan innovation value chain. These efforts are intended to accelerate the translation of complex HMO science into scalable solutions and further establish eversyn as a key innovator at the intersection of glycobiotechnology, nutrition and biopharma.
About KMU-innovativ: Bioökonomie
KMU-innovativ: Bioökonomie is a funding program of Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, formerly BMBF), launched in 2020 to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) developing innovative, sustainable solutions in the bioeconomy. The program funds industrial and experimental development projects that advance climate-neutral, bio-based products while reducing harmful emissions and waste, helping translate cutting-edge bioeconomic research into real-world applications.
About Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)
The BMFTR is Germany's federal cabinet-level ministry responsible for research, technology, and space policy. Headquartered in Bonn, the ministry was originally formed in 1955 and is currently led by Federal Minister Dorothee Bär. The BMFTR funds and shapes national strategy across scientific research, key technologies, and the space sector — including programs like KMU-innovativ that support innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises.