New projects will use engineering biology to tackle challenges in the fields of health, environment, food production and sustainability.
The £13.5 million funding is provided by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Technology Missions Fund and delivered by Innovate UK.
The 48 projects cover a wide range of sectors and disciplines and involve private companies, academic institutions and partner bodies. For example, they will be:
engineering red blood cells to unlock new therapeutic treatments
developing new bio-based materials to make paints more environmentally friendly
making a sustainable alternative to palm oil
engineering animal stem cells to cultivate meat production
developing advance wound therapy
advancing industrial biotechnology to develop sustainable packaging
All the projects are supporting business led research and development that will:
lead to new engineering biology products, processes or services
help to de-risk the adoption of new engineering biology technologies that offer high market potential
The projects align with the government’s national vision for engineering biology and follow on from the announcement of £100 million engineering biology mission hubs and awards, which are also funded through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund