Engineering Biology Innovation Network

Advancing Innovations in Engineering Biology

Engineering biology is a rapidly growing field with potential for innovation and applications across industry sectors and technology areas. It encompasses the wider capabilities and ecosystem that supports the exploitation of synthetic biology – the design, engineering and re-engineering of biologically based parts, devices and systems – to address major economic and societal challenges.

The Engineering Biology Innovation Network, led by Innovate UK Business Connect in collaboration with Innovate UK and UKRI’s Technology Mission Fund, aims to drive the development of a joined-up UK innovation ecosystem to ensure synthetic biology tools, technologies and processes can be more easily developed and adopted by a variety of industries. The Innovation Network launch event took place in June 2025, where the goal of the network was shared, which is to progress innovations, create a commercially focused community and foster new consortia to advance innovations towards commercial applications.

Engineering biology is one of the six frontier technologies identified in the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy as critical to driving economic growth and solving global challenges.

The Engineering Biology Innovation Network will support UK innovators in the field of engineering biology by connecting them with new partners and opportunities. It will provide a forum for discussion and development in this field, supporting new innovations to become real-world products and services across various sectors.