Internship in biotechnology (biopesticide research)

AGRICELLS SA is a Belgian startup specializing in Greentech. Its activities focus on the research and development of biosolutions (biostimulants and biocontrol) based on bacterial microorganisms, their production, the development of specific formulations, regulatory approval, and commercialization for agricultural professionals. The targeted markets include large-scale industrial crops and greenhouse crops (corn, wheat, soy, rice, potatoes, cucurbits, tomatoes, etc.).

Founded in February 2020, AGRICELLS secured its first "Pre-Seed" funding round of €2.1M (from private and public Walloon investors), which financed a two-year Proof of Concept (2021-2022) aimed at developing two technological platforms for Biostimulation and Biocontrol. During these two years of POC, AGRICELLS, which owns proprietary microorganisms, established a complete development pipeline to bring a product from the laboratory stage to regulatory approval and commercialization through global B2B players.

In December 2022, AGRICELLS obtained regulatory approval for its first biostimulant products, based on its AG002/2 strain, and successfully completed a second funding round of over €3M, enabling the development of its new innovative strategy focused on combined biosolutions.

Through its network of partners, AGRICELLS has developed expertise in R&D engineering, formulation, bioprocessing, controlled environment and field testing, as well as regulatory dossier preparation. In the short term, AGRICELLS aims to leverage these strong industrial partnerships to accelerate time-to-market and, in the longer term, develop its own industrial capabilities.

We offer an internship in biotechnology (biochemistry) for working on our new biopesticide product research. The selected candidate will gain hands-on experience in the screening/selection of the best biopesticide candidates in vitro and in vivo. They will also learn extensively about the protein production and purification process.

Internship location: Liège, Belgium

Internship start and duration: flexible, need to be determine with the candidate.

Key Responsibilities

Assist in laboratory experiments related to new biopesticide discoveries and production.

Conduct literature reviews on associated technologies.

Participate in field trials to assess the effectiveness of biopesticide applications.

Support data collection, analysis, and report writing for research publication.

Currently enrolled in or recently completed a degree in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Agronomy, or a related field.

Basic laboratory skills, including microbial culture techniques and molecular biology.

Interest in sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management.

Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a research team.