뉴스&공지 KAIST Graduate School of Engineering Biology

International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) is a global leader in health, biosciences, and sensory innovation, delivering transformative solutions across food, nutrition, home and personal care, and industrial applications. With over 21,500 employees and a strong scientific workforce of 3,700+, IFF leverages cutting-edge biotechnology to improve consumer well-being and enable sustainable production worldwide.

The Palo Alto Biotechnology Innovation Center, established in 1996 in the heart of Silicon Valley, is IFF’s flagship R&D site and a critical hub for discovery-to-scale industrial bioscience. Spanning 125,000 sq. ft and housing ~200 scientists and engineers, the site integrates advanced capabilities in microbial genomics, protein engineering, and fermentation process development. Key hallmarks include a unique food-grade pilot plant for translational scale-up, recovery and formulation technologies, and expertise in bacterial, fungal, and yeast expression systems.

Our research programs encompass enzyme design for grain processing and home care, and novel biomaterials such as Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials™ (DEB).

Leveraging bioinformatics, genomics, and advanced analytics, the Palo Alto center drives innovation across diverse markets while maintaining sustainability and manufacturability standards. 

This presentation will introduce IFF’s global role in bioscience innovation and provide an overview of the Palo Alto site’s core capabilities and contributions to advancing enzyme and microbial platform technologies.