TurtleTree and NIZO Food Research launch research partnership to advance precision-fermented lactoferrin for women’s health
Ede, The Netherlands, 26 October 2026 – Biotechnology company TurtleTree and food-and-health research organization NIZO Food Research today announced a strategic research partnership to accelerate the scientific and clinical development of TurtleTree’s precision-fermented lactoferrin platform, LF+, for women’s health. Under the partnership, a dedicated NIZO research team will work alongside TurtleTree on a multi-year program spanning clinical studies, health-claim substantiation and product formulation. Alongside the partnership, TurtleTree also announced that it is relocating its global headquarters to the Netherlands.
The partnership pairs TurtleTree’s proprietary precision-fermentation technology with the scientific depth of one of Europe’s foremost food-and-health research institutes. The collaboration focuses on advancing LF+ for women’s health applications, with an emphasis on healthy aging and (peri)menopause, validating and substantiating next-generation functional ingredients through rigorous clinical science.
TurtleTree’s work will be based at the Food Innovation Park in Ede, in the heart of the Dutch Food Valley, giving the company access to Europe’s largest independent food-grade pilot facilities and a dense ecosystem of food, biotech and fermentation innovators.
“This partnership lets us push LF+ development further and faster in women’s health, and gives us a real foothold in Europe,” said Fengru Lin, Founder and CEO of TurtleTree. “Instead of spending years building a research operation, we can draw on a dedicated NIZO team from day one. Some of the best scientists in the field, working directly on our platform. The Netherlands gives us the science, the infrastructure and the access to the European market we need to move at the pace this category demands.
Fengru Lin holding the product LF+ from TurtleTree.
For NIZO, the collaboration reflects a deliberate shift in how the institute works with fast-moving startups and scale-up companies. “We want to make our scientific capabilities accessible to the most ambitious innovators, not only to large established players,” said Nikolaas Vles, CEO NIZO. “By being an extension of a scale-up like TurtleTree, we help promising technologies reach the market faster and more rigorously. TurtleTree is exactly the kind of partner this model is built for, and a strong example of what it can achieve.
TurtleTree’s establishment in the Netherlands was supported by Oost NL, the regional development agency for East Netherlands, and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), whose combined efforts helped facilitate the company’s arrival and its access to the resources, facilities and networks of the Dutch innovation ecosystem. Their involvement underlines the strategic importance of international partnerships in strengthening the Netherlands’ position as a leading global centre for precision fermentation.
“The Netherlands offers international companies a strong combination of scientific expertise, research infrastructure and access to the European market,” said Hilde van der Meer, Commissioner at Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). “TurtleTree’s decision to establish its global headquarters here shows the value of bringing these strengths together. Its partnership with NIZO also demonstrates how international companies can connect directly with the Dutch innovation ecosystem to accelerate research and bring new technologies to market.”
Food Innovation Park in Ede, The Netherlands, with the facilities of NIZO Food Research.
About TurteTree
TurtleTree is a precision fermentation company transforming access to essential dairy proteins that are difficult to produce at scale using traditional animal-based methods. Starting with lactoferrin, TurtleTree has developed a technology that delivers consistent quality, reliable supply, and improved economics independent of milk production, and is the first company globally to receive US FDA GRAS status for precision-fermented lactoferrin. TurtleTree partners with leading food, nutrition, and biosolutions companies to expand access to high-value ingredients for early life, women’s health, and specialized nutrition applications.
Food Innovation Park offers a unique blend of expertise, technology, scaling-up facilities, and networking to accelerate innovation in food. Since July 2026, Schipper Bosch has become the owner of the site’s real estate. Schipper Bosch believes in the power of places with a clear identity. Together with NIZO – as a key user and driver of innovation – and other parties, Schipper Bosch is committed to further developing the site in the coming years into an internationally leading ecosystem for food, health, and protein transition.Beyond facilities and know-how, Food Innovation Park places companies at the centre of a vibrant network of experts, partners, and stakeholders across the Netherlands and Europe.
Questions about this topic? Ask them to Celine Brattinga
Marketing & Communications Manager With a background in Nutrition & Health from Wageningen University, I joined NIZO in 2007 as a project manager in sensory science and product applications. Alongside this role, I also served as panel leader for NIZO’s highly trained analytical panel. In 2017, I embarked on an exciting new chapter by moving […]
