Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
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Government acts to support innovation in the industrial biotechnology sector
Government support for industrial biotechnology (IB) will ensure the UK maximises the sector’s economic and environmental benefits. Science Minister Lord Drayson announced today a range of actions to increase the industrial use of biological substances, systems and processes to produce materials, chemicals and energy. These are increasingly used to make ingredients that have traditionally been generated using oil and other fossil fuels.
The Government’s response to the independent report “IB 2025: Maximising UK Opportunities from Industrial Biotechnology in a Low Carbon Economy”, outlined key commitments that will help to better utilise our world class science and research base in partnership with business. This will help to identify and deliver new processes, materials and products. It will help the translation of novel ideas into tangible outputs within a UK environment best placed to conduct innovative approaches to IB. These commitments include:
- Establishment of an Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum to steer the implementation of the IB-Innovation Growth Team recommendations;
- Investing in the development of an open access demonstrator facility to enable the better exploitation of new processes and products;
- Funding, via the Technology Strategy Board, of an Industrial Biotechnology Special Interest Group between the Chemical Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network and the Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network.
The Government recognises that the potential Industrial Biotechnology market is significant. Sales in the UK industrial biotechnology chemical market have been estimated to reach as much as £12 billion by 2025. The actions outlined today will put the UK in a strong position in this knowledge-intensive area and allow UK companies to increase their share of a much larger global market estimated to be between £150-360 billion by 2025.
Speaking to bioscience and chemical sector business leaders Lord Drayson said:
“Industrial biotechnology holds the key to developing materials that can help us live more sustainably and grow our economy. The commitments we are making today are about supporting leading-edge research and creating a favourable operating environment in this sector. We must take advantage of its vast potential”
Lord Drayson recognised the time and effort senior representatives from industry, academia and intermediary bodies had contributed to the IB-IGT report and its recommendations.
Notes to editors
1. The Government Response to the independent report “IB 2025: Maximising UK Opportunities from Industrial Biotechnology in a Low Carbon Economy is available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51891.pdf.
It contains detailed responses to all 21 of the IB-IGT recommendations.
2. IB 2025: Maximising UK Opportunities from Industrial Biotechnology in a Low Carbon Economy was led by Ian Shott and was published on 22 May 2009. It is available at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51144.pdf
3. The Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Forum will be jointly chaired by Ian Lucas, BIS Minister for Business and Ian Shott, Chair of IB-IGT.
4. New Industry New Jobs was published on 20 April 2009. It outlined the Government’s vision for our future economy and highlighted key sectors including industrial biotechnology that will build Britain’s success in the 21st century. It is available at:http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51023.pdf
5. The Government accepts that this process of demonstration carries with it risks that the market would be unwilling to finance – especially under current conditions – BIS has therefore committed to investing in the construction of an open access IB Demonstration Facility in the UK. This will be supported by the Strategic Investment Fund announced in Budget 2009.6. The Technology Strategy Board plans to publicise its Bioscience Strategy in the next few months and IB will be a strategic priority. Both BIS and TSB have agreed to reflect this priority in the upcoming TSB competition for applications in the area of High-Tech Manufacturing in 2010.
7. Further information on the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation & Growth Team is available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/sectors/chemicals/IBIGT/page44395.html8. Industrial Biotechnology materials (plants, algae, marine life, fungi, micro-organisms) and processes are found in a number of existing products ranging from new bio-based ingredients in personal care products to bio-based synthetic rubber for tyres to vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
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