Programme: Innovations and Competitiveness

Innova BM develops active ingredients, based on de-differentiated stem cells, for the cosmetic industry. Active ingredients in cosmetics are ingredients, which carry the main function of the product - regenerating, sun protecting, moisturizing, tainting, whitening, anti-oxidizing, immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory effects on the skin. In contrast to functional ingredients, whose role is auxiliary (to provide texture, to bind the water- and oil-based fractions, to preserve the product), active ones directly affect the skin cell and through a complex bio-chemical mechanism lead to the wanted result. To date, the company has been developing its products at the facilities of the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacology of the Sofia University, as well as Institute of Microbiology of BAS (Plovdiv campus), with whom they have signed contracts. The lack of their own independent laboratory for manufacturing has been an obstacle to growth of Innova BM. The aim of the current project is to purchase manufacturing equipment (precise scale, analytical scale, pH meter, water-purification system, desk- lyophilisator, autoclave, vacuum-rotating evaporator with an evaporating flask and a vacuum pump, cooler, laboratory freezer/fridge and a high-pressure homogenizer), which would allow the company to expand its activities and market. The proposal to purchase its own equipment will allow Innova BM to not only increase its orders within its current research and development activities, but also to expand its range of treatments of stem cells by adding manufacturing capacities for vacuum evaporation and lyophilisation. This would grant the company the opportunity to advance its successful entry into the highly competitive market of active ingredients for cosmetic purposes.