Overview

The growing demand for sustainable and health-promoting novel foods (eg, alternative protein, cultivated meat etc), along with increasingly complex pharmaceutical products, has brought downstream processing (DSP) into the spotlight as a critical yet often underestimated component of bioprocess development. While upstream innovations often catalyse attention, downstream separation plays an equally crucial role in ensuring product quality, safety, scalability, and regulatory compliance.

This one-day symposium will provide a focused platform for researchers, industry experts, and regulatory stakeholders to discuss the current challenges, recent innovations, and future directions in downstream separation. The event will emphasise the importance of DSP in the successful commercialisation of novel foods and biopharmaceuticals, especially in the face of evolving regulatory landscapes, sustainability requirements, and the need for cost-effective manufacturing processes.

Attendees will hear from leading experts in cellular agriculture, pharmaceutics, and novel food technologies. A panel discussion will bring together academic and industry voices from both the pharmaceutical and food sectors, fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue. The aim is to identify shared challenges and collaborative solutions that can accelerate progress in DSP across bioprocessing applications.

Abstract submission by 15 December 2025. Event registration by 15 January 2026.

Organising institution / body: IChemE Fluid separation SIG / Department of Chemical Engineering / CARMA-Hub / University of Bath.

Time

09:00–17:00 GMT.