Scottish Biotech Firm uFraction8 Raises £3.4 Million in Funding to Commercialize Technology

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Falkirk, Scotland-based uFraction8 announced that it has raised £3.4 million (US$4.4 million) in funding to further commercialize its microfiltration technology. This latest investment was led by Foresight Group, alongside a grant from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP). Other investors include the University of Edinburgh’s in-house venture investment fund Old College Capital, Scottish Enterprise, AlwynCapital, and Thia Ventures, uFraction8 listed in a Feb. 24, 2025 press release.

The company’s microfiltration technology is designed to optimize cell and biomass production and offers a sustainable, energy-efficient alternative to traditional methods used in the production of food, feed, and bio-based products. The company aims to enhance the scalability and affordability of bioprocessing, addressing critical challenges in the global biotech sector.

“We’re thrilled to have secured this significant investment, which will drive forward this next stage of our growth. The support from our investors is a testament to the impact and potential of our innovative technology. These funds will ensure we can bring our solutions to market more rapidly, particularly the microalgae and bio-separation within biopharma sectors, and enable Fraction8 to continue its innovation within the alternative protein sector,” said Monika Tomecka, PhD, founder and CEO of uFraction8, in the press release (1).

uFraction8’s innovative technology was originally developed at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering. It provides applications across several key markets, including microalgae, forecast to grow to $3 billion, and biopharma, forecast to grow to more than $30 billion, by 2030 (1). In addition to supporting the commercialization of this innovative microfiltration technology, the funding will also support further technology development aimed at transforming microalgae industry production processes while significantly reducing the cost of products, according to the company in its press release.

“We are delighted to be supporting [Tomecka] and the uFraction8 team in bringing this breakthrough technology to market,” said Rubina Singh, senior investment manager at Foresight, in the release. “At Foresight, we’re committed to supporting pioneering technologies for a sustainable future. uFraction8’s advancements in continuous bioprocessing present transformative opportunities across multiple industries, and we are excited to help the company achieve further impact in their important work.”

Kerry Sharp, director of Entrepreneurship and Investment at Scottish Enterprise, added in the release, “Scottish Enterprise has supported uFraction8’s ambition over several years to develop and commercialize its highly innovative technology to enable its customers to produce more efficient and scalable manufacturing of bio-based products. The biotech industry is a key opportunity area for growth for Scotland. Companies such as uFraction8 can play a vital role in transforming our economy by scaling-up, creating high-value jobs, and competing internationally.”

uFraction8 was co-founded by Brian Miller, PhD, chief technology officer, and Tomecka. The company currently employs seven people within its business in Scotland and its wholly owned subsidiary in Poznan, Poland. In an earlier round of investment in 2022, the company secured £2.5 million (US$3.2 million) in funding, led by Thia Ventures. Earlier in February 2025, the company’s Polish subsidiary, uFraction8 Poland, was awarded funding for cellular agriculture development (2). The aim of this project is to develop and create technology based on microfluidic systems that will be utilized for cascade filtration of animal cells in perfusion culture. The goal of the technology is for the use of production of cellular meat.

References

1. uFraction8. uFraction8 Secures £3.4M of Funding. Press Release. Feb. 24, 2025.
2. uFraction8. uFraction8 Poland Awarded Funding for Cellular Agriculture Development. Press Release. Feb. 21, 2025.