Onego Bio and the EIC Accelerator: Egg White Without Chickens

Onego Bio, founded in 2022 as a spin-off of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland by Maija Itkonen and Chris Landowski, uses the fungus Trichoderma reesei to produce ovalbumin, the main protein in egg white, with the same amino acid sequence as the natural protein, under the brand Bioalbumen. Its EIC Accelerator project, "Novel precision fermentation process to produce animal-free bioidentical ovalbumin", receives an EU contribution of €2,499,999 and runs from January 2025 to December 2026, according to CORDIS. In its first year, the project report says, Onego developed a strain producing at least 20 grams of ovalbumin per litre, advanced pilot-scale production and improved purity by deleting unwanted enzymes, according to CORDIS.

When it announced the EIC award in July 2024, alongside Series A investors for €14 million in total, Onego said the EIC money would fuel its go-to-market plan in the EU, including approval from the European Food Safety Authority, and that it was moving at full speed in North America, "where the regulatory landscape allows a faster market entry", according to Onego Bio. That round took its total funding to €65 million, or $70.8 million. In September 2025 the US Food and Drug Administration issued a "no questions" letter on its GRAS notice for Bioalbumen, according to Onego Bio. An EU novel food application has not been announced. In September 2026 Onego signed a commercial partnership with the Brooklyn waffle maker Zen Waffles, according to Onego Bio.

Where Onego Bio Stands Now

Onego opened a 5,000-square-foot US commercial headquarters with labs and a test kitchen in San Diego in September 2024, according to Onego Bio, and produces Bioalbumen through co-manufacturers. In March 2026 it signed an agreement with the multinational Sigma Foods to evaluate Bioalbumen in prototypes and application trials, citing egg price volatility and bird flu, according to Onego Bio. Its Finnish accounts were not accessible in free sources.

The Technology: A Fungus That Makes Egg White

Precision fermentation programs a microbe to secrete a specific protein, which is then separated and dried. Trichoderma reesei is a fungus long used for industrial enzymes. The FDA letter covers Bioalbumen as a protein source and as a foaming, gelling and binding agent in baked goods, beverages, meat analogues, confections and sauces. Onego claims an environmental footprint about 90% smaller than conventional egg protein, citing a 2021 Nature Food study. The EIC project focuses on yield and purity, which decide whether the protein can compete with eggs on price.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The project runs until December 2026, so it is too early to judge it. It has already hit a strain yield milestone and improved purity. But the production it prepares for is planned in the United States. Onego chose Jefferson County's Food and Beverage Innovation Campus in Wisconsin for its flagship plant, with a $777,000 purchase of 25.9 acres approved by the county board in December, output equal to 6 million laying hens and operations planned by 2028, according to Onego Bio in March 2025. A US Department of Defense grant of $2 million, announced in September 2024, funds plans for a US manufacturing facility with 2 million litres of fermentation capacity, according to Onego Bio.

1. High-yield strainDelivered≥20 g/L.
2. Pilot-scale processAdvancingProject report.
3. US marketOpenedFDA letter, Zen Waffles.
4. EU approvalUnverifiedNo filing announced.

The Money

Onego raised a €10 million seed round in 2022 and a €4.5 million Business Finland grant the same year, according to Onego Bio. Its $40 million Series A in April 2024, led by the Japanese-Nordic fund NordicNinja, included $10 million of non-dilutive money from Business Finland, according to Onego Bio. Finnish, EU and US public money has all gone into the company.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Onego itself said in 2024 that the EU "currently lags behind other regions" on precision fermentation approvals. The science came from a Finnish public research centre and was funded with Finnish and EU money, but the approval, customers and first factory are American. For the EIC, it is a case of European research feeding a US industry while the EU market stays closed.

The Verdict

Onego Bio and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.