Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
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Industrial biotechnology report sets vision for UK industry to maximise the opportunities in a low carbon economy
The industry-led Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Growth Team (IB-IGT) chaired by Ian Shott today published its report setting out its vision for industrial biotechnology (IB) by 2025 and its recommendations to Government and industry achieve this.
The IB-IGT vision for IB in the UK by 2025:
"Sees the power and benefits of IB being fully evidenced across the UK chemical and chemical-using industries, driven by coherent manufacturing, skills, environment and technology policies, judicious investment, and a sense of urgency, to deliver innovation, jobs and prosperity"
The IB-IGT's work over the last year has focused on how to put the UK in the strongest possible position to gain maximum benefits from the new strategic market in renewable chemicals, and low-carbon manufacturing.
IB provides a sustainable, commercially viable route for the UK out of dependence on fossil fuels. Furthermore, IB is also vital to maintaining UK competitiveness in global markets, where bio-based systems and processes are rapidly gaining strength and scale.
Robust estimates of the global IB market by 2025 range from £150 billion to £360 billion. Similar estimates for the UK IB market range from £4 billion to £12 billion, with a favourable research environment and technology development having a high likelihood of pay-off in the future in the area of high-value low-volume chemicals.
The IB-IGT has looked at the whole business environment affecting IB, with the full involvement across Government. It has worked closely with key opinion leaders in industry and has identified five critical recommendations that will ensure the UK is best placed to translate the opportunities IB presents into innovations, jobs and prosperity:
* Provide leadership to promote and connect IB activities across
all supply chains;
* De-risk access to new IB products,
processes and technologies;
* Accelerate the innovation and
knowledge transfer process for IB;
* Position IB to attract
and retain high quality scientists, engineers and managers;
and
* Create a truly supportive 'public' and
'business' environment for IB.
The Chair of the IB-IGT, Ian Shott, said:
"I have seen the various ebbs and flows of this technology sector with market investment windows opening and closing over the last three decades. However never have I been more certain that the growing maturity of this technology, combined with its all pervasive breadth, and ever increasing depth will ensure that it makes a major contribution to the opportunities and challenges facing the world as we strive for global sustainability."
Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Lord Mandelson said:
"The Government welcomes this report, and it comes at an opportune time as the Government focuses on building a low carbon economy. Industrial biotechnology will be one of the strongest driving forces behind the world's low-carbon revolution. Offering businesses the capability to develop and use less carbon intensive products and processes, whilst also reducing costs and opening-up new, emerging and established markets."
Notes to editors
1. The industry-led Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Growth Team (IB-IGT), was set up by BERR to look into how industrial biotechnology can improve the competitiveness of the chemical and chemical-using industries.
2. The IB-IGT consists of over 80 senior representatives of the UK Biotechnology, Chemical and Chemical Using industries.
3. The full IB-IGT report is available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51144.pdf
4. Industrial Biotechnology is defined as - the use of biological resources for producing and processing materials, chemicals and energy - such resources include plants, algae, marine life, fungi and micro-organisms.
5. Further supporting documents and evidence including an economic analysis of IB and renewable chemicals are available on the BERR website at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/sectors/chemicals/IBIGT/page44395.html
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