ALGATECH Centre - Inst. Microbiol. Czech Acad. Sci. (IMIC) has successfully completed the commercialization process of its unique microalgae strain Parachlorella. The bred strain is yellow, so it can only be grown heterotrophically. What is important, lutein is its only pigment and in quantities that make this alga competitive with plants from which lutein is now commercially extracted.The commercialisation partner is the Dutch company Phycom, which is one of the largest European producers of microalgae under strictly controlled heterotrophic cultivation conditions. The company grows 500 tonnes of microalgae per year, but Phycom plans to increase its production significantly. IMIC and Phycom are also partners in the European MULTI-STR3AM project. Thanks are also given to the Centrum transferu technologií AV ČR (Technology Transfer Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences) for their assistance in the technology transfer.