Engineering biology could bring us to the cusp of a new industrial revolution

Engineering biology involves designing and building new biological systems, molecules, or organisms.

It allows scientists to harness the power of nature to make new materials or conduct existing processes in more efficient ways.

For example, we heard of a manufacturer using bacteria to make synthetic alternatives to leather from coconut milk.

Recent technological developments, such as CRISPR gene-editing and AI, mean that we are potentially on the cusp of a new industrial revolution. Just as AI allows us to change the world’s “software”, engineering biology might allow us to change the “hardware”, moving atoms as well as digital bits.

Engineering biology offers opportunities to replace fossil fuels with more sustainable ways of making products.

For example, genetically modified bacteria can be used to make dyes, or convert waste from industry into useful fuels. It can also enable us to improve on precision breeding, such as engineering crops that are resistant to a changing climate.

Room for growth

There are many start-up companies in the UK seeking to exploit this new technology.

The graph below shows which sectors these companies are in, according to the Government’s analysis. At the moment, the applications are mostly in the health and life sciences, but there is potential for engineering biology to be used much more widely.

Our report identified many areas of activity that the Government needs to act on to make sure that we can make engineering biology a success in the UK.

1. Industrial Strategy

As the Government will be introducing an Industrial Strategy this year, it needs to set out the role this will play in supporting innovative technologies like engineering biology.

It must identify and support areas where the UK can be a leading player in global markets. This includes identifying where the UK has access to the relevant feedstocks that can be used to produce new goods and move away from fossil fuel based production.

The Government needs a coordinated effort across multiple areas of policy in order to support research and technological development.

The Government needs to act in a coordinated way across areas including skills, regulation, infrastructure, investment, adoption, and governance. The UK should appoint a national sector champion for engineering biology to oversee this strategy.

2. Science, Research, and Development

The UK still has great scientific research, but this cannot be taken for granted.

It needs consistent funding, skilled researchers and technical experts trained here or attracted to the UK, and well-funded research infrastructure to stay at the cutting edge.

The previous Government pledged to spend £2 billion over ten years on the engineering biology research and development sector – we will need at least this level of funding in order to keep up with investments that are being made by other countries.

The UK needs more training for engineering biology scientists and technicians, and more effective visa policies to attract scientists from abroad. Research infrastructure such as laboratories needs to be mapped out so researchers and companies can find and use it, and labs need stable, core funding to lower the barriers to access.

3. Investment and adoption

Both public and private investment are needed to help engineering biology grow. The UK's public investment offer has a pipeline problem—Innovate UK and research councils provide early-stage funding, but it is often unclear where to go when companies get beyond a certain size.

This is also true in the private sector, where there is a long-term lack of scale-up funding. Financial reforms are needed to help unlock that investment. All too often we hear that when companies reach a certain size, they move abroad for better investment and development prospects, taking most of the economic benefit with them. This must end.

Among many large manufacturing companies that do exist, there is an unwillingness to shift production away from methods that use fossil fuels. Government can lead the way by adopting biotechnologies in the goods and services it buys, and it can also encourage other industries to do so using incentives and mandates.

The Government needs to unlock private and public investment to help engineering biology companies scale up, through bodies like its National Wealth Fund, and financial reforms. It can help encourage adoption across the economy by incentivising companies to use bio-based products, and leading the way in the goods the Government buys.

4. Regulation and governance

This is a fast-moving technology, and regulators need to be able to keep up with scientific developments. The new Regulatory Innovation Office has identified engineering biology as one of the priority areas to focus on.

Many different regulators are involved with engineering biology, and it needs to be clearer to companies developing their products what the pathway is to get safe products approved and on the market. The regulatory landscape needs to be clarified, and regulators need to be well-resourced in terms of expertise and funding so that they can engage swiftly with emerging technologies and applications.

Like many technologies, engineering biology can be used by bad actors for malicious purposes. The Government needs to engage with international regulatory efforts to ensure it can prevent this. The UK needs robust public health systems that can spot and deal with biological threats, whether natural or engineered.

The Government needs to make sure regulators have the resources, in terms of funding and expertise, to swiftly respond to a rapidly-developing technology. It should guard against misuse of these technologies and encourage public engagement so that people have a say in how this technology is used.

We believe there is a great opportunity for the UK to benefit from engineering biology, but there is a narrow – and closing – window to make sure that we harness the potential of this technology in the UK. We cannot afford to miss it.