HydGene Renewables Awarded $2M NSW Biosciences Fund Grant to Scale Biocatalyst Manufacturing

HydGene Renewables has been awarded $2 million from the NSW Government's Biosciences Fund (BioSF) - the largest individual grant in the latest round. The funding will accelerate the scale-up of HydGene's proprietary biocatalyst manufacturing, a critical step toward commercial deployment of its green hydrogen technology.

The grant was announced by NSW Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong at an event at Greenhouse, Sydney's climate tech hub on 5th March 2026.

A new approach to an urgent problem

The global chemical industry remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Supply chain disruptions and volatile input costs — particularly for fertilisers — have exposed the fragility of centralised, fossil-derived chemical production. Ammonia and methanol, two of the world's most essential industrial chemicals used across agriculture, fuels, plastics and pharmaceuticals, are at the centre of this challenge.

HydGene has developed a biocatalyst platform that converts waste biomass into green hydrogen on-site — an alternative to electrolysis. That hydrogen is then used to produce key chemicals like ammonia and methanol without fossil fuels.

What makes the technology distinctive is its scale. HydGene's biocatalyst reduces the required production infrastructure by more than 600 times compared to conventional methods, dramatically lowering capital and operating costs. This enables decentralised, local manufacturing — giving producers the ability to make essential chemicals where they're needed, from locally available feedstocks.

What the funding supports

The BioSF grant will be used to scale in-house fermentation and downstream processing infrastructure to manufacture HydGene's biocatalyst at scale. This includes building the capability for controlled, repeatable production with the yield, productivity and consistency required for commercial deployment.

“With this funding, we can scale production of our biocatalyst, enabling customers to make green hydrogen on-site from waste biomass," said Dr Louise Brown, CEO of HydGene Renewables. "This creates a practical, lower-cost pathway to fossil-free essential chemicals, like ammonia for fertilisers that underpin our food system."

About the Biosciences Fund

The Biosciences Fund is a $4.75 million competitive commercialisation program run by the NSW Government, supporting biotechnology and life sciences startups to develop and bring their technologies to market. HydGene was one of four companies to receive funding in this round.

For more information, visit https://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/news/nsw-government-gives-$20-million-boost-to-innovative-small-business