Campus history

Biotech Campus Delft is built on the proud history of outstanding biotech innovations developed in Delft. 

Delft has been one of the biotechnology 'hotspots' of the world since centuries. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft in 1632 and got world famous for his groundbreaking discoveries on microscopes, for the first time getting a glimpse of the invisible, microbial world. In 1869, Jacques van Marken, the first chemical engineer that graduated from the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft), created a yeast factory in Delft, building the foundation of the yeast factory still used today by DSM in Delft. In 1885, Martinus Beijerinck started his work at the yeast factory and 10 years later he became a professor at the Technical University. He made many world-famous discoveries in microbiology and virology. Also in the 20th century, many important biotech discoveries were done in Delft.

In 1968 the Dutch Yeast and Spirits Factory merged with Brocades to form the Royal Gist-Brocades NV. In 1998 the Royal Gist-Brocades NV was taken over by multinational DSM. In 2019, DSM in Delft celebrated its 150 anniversary and being a front runner in biotechnological innovations with global impact.

We build on the rich heritage of biotechnology in Delft, 'capital of biotech'

In 2018, the board of DSM gave its commitment to open up its site in Delft for third parties active in biotechnology, and to share its knowledge and infrastructure to create an open innovation campus. The Technical University of Delft is actively collaborating with DSM to successfully develop the Biotech Campus Delft.