Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum
A steering structure and governance body, providing strategic coordination of the UK’s fast growing Industrial Biotechnology sector, shaping the direction of the UK’s Bioeconomy towards connectedness and clean economic growth.
Steering the Industrial Biotechnology revolution
To achieve the UK government’s ambitious net-zero by 2050 goal, progress is required across all sectors of the economy. Harnessing nature and biologically derived products and processes is crucial to providing significant societal and economic benefits alongside reducing carbon emissions.
The UK Government established the IBLF to provide a steering structure and governance body to assess progress, update recommendations and shape priorities for the growth of the UK’s bioeconomy.
IBLF provides strategic coordination of the UK’s fast growing Industrial Biotechnology sector by a forum of active participants from industry, the research community, public access scale-up facilities, funding agencies, government and other key stakeholders.
The four key pillars underpinning Industrial Biotechnology
Bio-based raw material inputs instead of oil and gas
Cells and plants as biological factories
Enzymes as incredible specific catalysts in the industrial processes of the future
The Microbiome, harnessing micro-organisms in end-uses such as the improvement of human gut health
SECTOR
Driving innovation across the UK’s Bioeconomy
Secretariat of the IBLF is provided by Innovate UK Business Connect. For more information on our work in biotechnology, view our sector page and related activities.
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With engineering biology at the centre, the IBLF covers a wide range of practical real-world applications.
Infographic showing the IBLF’s work in concentric circles, with lab-based activities such as engineering biology at the centre, and practical real-world applications such as biofuels on the outer ring.
Who are the Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum?
The Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum (IBLF) is chaired by Paul Mines. The Secretariat is provided by a member of Innovate UK Business Connect’s Industrial Biotechnology team (currently Dana Heldt). Membership of the IBLF is reviewed annually. Stakeholders from the community who wish to be considered should make their interest known to the Secretariat. Members of the IBLF (last updated Sept 2025) include:
- Alex Smith – CPI
- Anke Davis – EPSRC
- Adrian Higson – NNFCC
- Andrew Ellis – Biocatalysts Ltd
- Andrew Hagan – World Council on IB
- Catherine Julia Mort – IUK Business Connect
- Damian Kelly – Croda
- Dana Heldt – Innovate UK Business Connect
- Darren Budd – BASF
- Edward Green – NCIMB, BIA EBAC
- Ivey Geoghegan – Quorn Foods
- Izzy Webb – DSIT
- Jen Vanderhoven – BBIA
- Jeremy Bartosiak-Jentys – Supplant
- John Barratt – Stellar Robotics, Consultant
- John Williams – AquaPak and S’Investec
- Jonathan Runnacles – Mitsubishi Chemical Methacrylates
- Justine Fosh – Cogent Skills
- Judith Huggan – CPI
- Mark Bustard – IBioIC
- Mark Corbett – BDC
- Mary Jenkinson-Finch – BBSRC
- Matthew Bycroft – Dr Reddys
- Matthew Hodges – HydRegen
- Neil Parry – Unilever
- Paul Bello – Innovate UK
- Paul Mines (IBLF chair) – Biome Bioplastics
- Richard Lock – Holiferm
- Sara Holland – Potter Clarkson
- Steve Bagshaw – HVM Catapult
- Tim Davies – Corteva
- Will Barton – HydRegen
Our Experts
NETWORK
Engineering Biology Innovation Network
Driving the development of a joined-up UK innovation ecosystem to ensure synthetic biology tools, technologies and processes can be developed and adopted by industry.