Testa Challenge 2026
Verify your technical or digital innovation in an industrial biomanufacturing innovation challenge!
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
We are thrilled to announce that application is now open for the Testa Challenge 2026.
Important dates
August 25, 2025 – Application period starts
March 29, 2026 – Application period will close at 23:59 CET
April 20 - 24, 2026 - Winner companies get notified
August 31, 2026 - Start of Testa Challenge 2026
Testa Challenge 2026
Testa Center, in collaboration with Cytiva, invites startups, academic research groups, companies, and institutes globally from the technology/digital/data/IT sector to participate in the Testa Challenge 2026—an opportunity to integrate, test, and verify your innovations within a fully funded standard bioproduction workflow.
Our goal is to accelerate the adoption of groundbreaking technologies in bioproduction. By providing a platform for early evaluation, Testa Challenge 2026 encourages participants to assess the applicability and success of their innovations within the industry.
Throughout the Challenge, participants will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and expert guidance, ensuring that your innovation receives the support it deserves.
Don't miss your chance to be part of this transformative experience. The Challenge will run for three weeks starting August 31, 2026, at Testa Center in Uppsala, Sweden.
Apply now and take the opportunity to showcase your innovation and make a lasting impact on the world of bioprocessing.
The Testa Challenge bioproduction workflow
The Testa Challenge 2026 follows an industry standard, from start to finish bioprocess where an adeno associated virus (AAV) will be produced and purified in an industrial environment.
The process involves several key steps:
- Production of AAV with HEK cells through a fed-batch process in a single-use bioreactor (SUB)
- Clarification of HEK culture using filtration
- Purification of the produced AAV particles with an affinity chromatography step followed by an additional polishing step with multimodal chromatography
- The quality of the produced, purified AAV will be assessed using various analytical techniques
For further information on details and specifications about the process, please download the documents provided.
Information and application
Call for applications
Testa Challenge 2026 process
Application Form - Testa Challenge
Why verify in an industrial bioprocess environment?
Biological drugs and products are transforming medicine and promise future targeted treatments for a range of conditions. However, for these powerful products to benefit all people in the world, new technologies and tools that can drastically improve productivity of biological production are needed. New methods, processes and approaches are required to accelerate innovation in this area.
We know that there are countless promising technologies out there. We also know that, as a young technology developing company, it can be a significant threshold to get access to a relevant industrial verification environment. Testa Challenge was created to address this gap.
If you are curious about the selected projects in the previous Testa Challenges, you can learn more here.
Who can apply?
The call is open for startups, academic research groups, companies, and institutes globally.
Testa Center is situated in Uppsala, Sweden, where the experiments will be performed. We expect the selected projects to actively participate in various planning activates prior to the Testa Challenge Weeks as well as on site during parts of the weeks.
If you have any questions about your application, please do not hesitate to contact us for support.
What type of solutions and projects can apply?
Proposed projects need to fit in the scope of the described bioprocess above or relatively easily be integrated into the workflow. It can be a solution for any stage in the bioprocess, from preparation and planning to the actual culture cultivation, harvest, and downstream activities such as separation and purification.
The accepted Technical Readiness Levels (TRL) of your technology is from TRL 3 up to TRL 9 where the latter is product on the market. For details on TRLs, please refer to the application form below. Data from lab/bench-tests is to be included in the application, to assess whether a full-scale bioproduction workflow is applicable at the current stage of your technology.
How are Testa Challenge projects evaluated?
A Testa Challenge project is evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Feasibility of project
- Project fit with Challenge
- Project risk assessment
- Innovation and sector benefits
- Feasibility within Challenge period
- Team competence and support needs
2. Selection criteria
Technical potential
- Innovative height
- Competitiveness
- Scalability of the solution
Business potential
- Current market demand
- Future market demand
- Applicability to the bioprocessing market
Benefits for project to participate in Testa Challenge
- Probability to secure funding after the Challenge
- The Challenge helping in identifying customer needs/pain points
- Likeliness of the company’s solution to reach the market