The National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Italy’s first National Research and Innovation Centre entirely dedicated to biodiversity, has acquired a minority stake in Bio4Dreams S.p.A.

In 2025, NBFC published a “Public notice for expressions of interest aimed at acquiring equity interests in companies operating as incubators or accelerators in the biodiversity sector.” Bio4Dreams was awarded the procedure on February 3, 2026, and the transaction was completed through a capital increase reserved for NBFC, formally executed by notarial deed on April 23, 2026.

This is the first case in which one of the five National Centres established under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has acquired an equity interest in a private company and, more specifically, in a privately funded certified incubator, with the aim of enhancing research results and transforming them into innovative businesses.

A public-private partnership between research and venture creation

NBFC is one of the five National Centres funded by the PNRR under Mission 4, Component 2, “From research to business,” through resources allocated by the Italian Ministry of University and Research under the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme. Headquartered in Palermo, the Centre brings together a national network of 49 partners, including 26 universities and higher education institutions, 9 public research organizations and other institutional bodies, and 14 private entities, including companies, foundations, and research organizations.

Organized according to a Hub & Spoke model, NBFC operates in the monitoring, conservation, restoration, and enhancement of biodiversity across terrestrial, marine, and urban ecosystems in the Mediterranean area. It adopts a One Health approach based on the interdependence between human health, animal health, and ecosystem quality.

The transaction with Bio4Dreams addresses one of the National Centre’s key objectives: transforming scientific results, expertise, and technologies into entrepreneurial initiatives.: trasformare risultati scientifici, competenze e tecnologie in iniziative imprenditoriali.

Why Bio4Dreams and NBFC are complementary

Since 2018, Bio4Dreams has operated in the very early stages of the Life Sciences, with a model covering the entire journey from research to business: scouting, assessment and selection, due diligence, startup creation, pre-seed and seed investments, incubation and acceleration, fundraising, industrial development, and market access. Over the years, the incubator has assessed more than 2,600 projects, selected over 145, incubated 59 startups, and acquired equity interests in 21 of them.

The complementary nature of the two organizations brings together assets that would be difficult to replicate individually. NBFC contributes a national wealth of outstanding scientific expertise, data, technologies, and infrastructure in biodiversity, sustainability, and One Health. Bio4Dreams contributes an established execution capability across scouting, assessment, venture building, incubation, and market access, reducing the risk that research results fail to reach practical application.

For Bio4Dreams, the transaction expands its operational scope into biodiversity, an area with strong intersections with health, biotechnology, environmental sustainability, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence. It also strengthens the company’s presence in Central and Southern Italy, regions with a high concentration of scientific expertise and significant potential for growth in technology transfer.

Dedicated governance and operational plan

Following NBFC’s entry into Bio4Dreams’ shareholding structure, two NBFC representatives will join the Board of Directors and the Board of Statutory Auditors, respectively.

The CBSS – Committee for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development will also be established to provide strategic guidance and oversight for the initiative.

From an organizational perspective, the project will be managed by a dedicated Biodiversity Unit within Bio4Dreams’ Strategic Projects and Business Nursery Department.

The plan will be implemented over a five-year period and is designed to build a continuous pipeline of new biodiversity-focused startups, with a significant share of initiatives located in Central and Southern Italy. The first phase will include the establishment of the Biodiversity Unit, the launch of scouting activities, and the selection of the first batch of projects. Activities will include scouting, assessment and selection, due diligence, startup creation, pre-seed and seed investments, incubation and acceleration, access to grants and private capital, and the development of industrial and institutional partnerships.

“NBFC has played an essential role in establishing biodiversity as a central issue in our country. Initiatives such as Bio4Dreams help strengthen awareness within the scientific community that research to business is not merely a slogan, but a concrete activity capable of creating entrepreneurial opportunities and increasing competitiveness.”

Andrea Lenzi, President, CNR

“I would like to emphasize the strategic importance of this initiative and, in particular, the close connection between Bio4Dreams and the NBFC scientific community. This synergy will make it possible to implement the investment programme and achieve the expected results, developing a new entrepreneurial culture based on a stronger relationship between research and business.”

Luigi Fiorentino, President, NBFC

“Having the National Biodiversity Future Center, NBFC, alongside Bio4Dreams marks the creation of an important public-private partnership aimed at bringing together outstanding scientific expertise, projects, and relationships with universities, research centres, public bodies, institutions, and industrial players to create new value. Mission 4, Component 2 of the PNRR, ‘From research to business,’ becomes tangible through a combination of multidisciplinary skills and experience that, together, can make a real difference. For Bio4Dreams, it is both an honour and a great responsibility to embrace this new and extraordinary challenge, with the conviction that it can deliver concrete results and contribute to the creation of innovative companies capable of generating value for our country.”

Elisabetta Borello, Co-Founder, VP Strategy & External Relations, Bio4Dreams