What is Deep Biotech?
The benefits of biotechnology impact every sector of the economy, including human health. The BIA supports biotech companies applying their cutting-edge research to tackle humanity's most profound challenges, including climate change, pollution and food security, towards creating a sustainable bioeconomy.
Deep biotech has cross-sectoral impact. Deep biotech companies leverage the power of engineering biology and modern industrial biotechnology across four primary application areas:
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Food and agriculture: deep biotech offers innovative approaches to tackling food security by providing us with novel sustainable proteins and next-generation agricultural solutions.
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Chemicals and materials: new methods of deriving materials and chemicals are allowing us to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels to produce commodity chemicals, packaging and textiles.
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Environment: engineered enzymes and microorganisms are being deployed to recycle and clean up waste and pollution.
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Biofuels: are helping us to wean off our reliance on fossil fuels in hard-to-decarbonise sectors like aviation and shipping.
Deep Biotech: Disruptive innovation for global sustainability
This report aims to shine a light on some of the innovative companies using engineering biology to positively disrupt the environmentally damaging industries that modern society relies on.
Influencing to support deep biotech
There are regulatory and economic hurdles that must be cleared in order to build a sustainable bioeconomy driven by deep biotech. To best support our deep biotech members, we are focusing our influencing work across three key strands: Regulation, Finance, and Infrastructure.
In consultation with our deep biotech and engineering biology membership, we are working with Government to ensure that government policies, such as the National Vision for Engineering Biology, and relevant regulations are implemented in a way that supports deep biotech companies to start and scale in the UK. One avenue for engagement with Government is through our members who sit on the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)’s Engineering Biology Steering Group.
Our engagement on deep biotech also extends internationally through our membership of EuropaBio and the European Biosolutions Coalition.
Deep Biotech publications
