Engineering Biology in Switzerland 2025
Innovate UK in collaboration with UK Science and Technology Network (UK STN) delivered a Global Expert Mission (GEM) to Switzerland in 2025. This GEM brought together a team of UK industry experts to understand the engineering biology innovation landscape in Switzerland to identify key areas for collaboration and potential programmes needed to enable UK innovators to collaborate with Swiss partners.
Project
Engineering Biology
Location
Switzerland
Abstract from outcome report:
This Global Expert Mission (GEM) seeks to build on previous UK-Swiss initiatives, to understand potential opportunities for bilateral collaboration to apply engineering biology technologies to address challenges and drive economic growth. The areas of focus for the GEM were: agri-food (cultivated, fermented and plant-based alternative proteins); agricultural biologics (Precision Breeding and novel modality biologicals); and clean technology (alternatives to petrochemical feedstocks for material and fuels).
The GEM found an engaged Swiss ecosystem very receptive to expanding collaboration with the UK. With notable strengths in applied research, and an ecosystem embedded in innovation, there are strong opportunities for greater collaboration of mutual benefit with the UK. Key findings include the chance to share learnings and engage early with regulators to help shape nascent legislation, as well as create hack events for start-ups and innovators to tackle problem statements set by big industry. The GEM also identified a wide range of soft-landing support for UK businesses looking to expand and scale in Switzerland, alongside opportunities to form consortia through Horizon Europe.
Global Insights: Engineering Biology in Switzerland - Webinar recording and slides
About Global Expert Missions
Global Expert Missions (GEM) is funded by Innovate UK and designed to build international collaborations with governments, societies, enterprises, institutions, and people from every corner of the globe. With global challenges requiring international perspectives, the programme aims to support the UK government’s ambition to be the international partner of choice and a global hub for innovation by 2035.