Strategies to reduce cost and emission profiles are becoming increasingly important for the development of affordable and sustainable bio-based production. The overall objective of process intensification in different industries is to achieve substantial benefits in terms of cost, product concentration and quality, while eliminating waste and improving process safety. Intensification of bioprocesses could be a valuable tool for enhancing the efficiency and reducing resource consumption in bioproduction. In general, bioprocess intensification is defined as an increase in bioproduct output relative to cell concentration, time, reactor volume or cost. This brief overview provides a definition of process intensification in biotechnology, presents several general and specific examples, and addresses some of the current challenges.