A CENTRE of excellence for Scotland’s growing industrial biotechnology sector have received a boost with early-stage funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) will lead the project, along with the University of Strathclyde and a consortium of collaborative partners, in their bid to accelerate the development of biology-based products in a range of areas, from health to agriculture and the marine sector.
As well as the centre of excellence, the proposals include extending the bio-process technology scale-up facilities provided by IBioIC and creating an industry partnership and skills hub to help companies connect and collaborate with other UK centres of excellence, and to access skills training.
The submission was one of 24 from across the UK to be granted up to £50,000 from the UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund to develop a full bid that could lead to significant economic growth.
Between four and eight of the strongest bids would receive up to £50 million to carry out their projects.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Strathclyde’s principal and vice-chancellor, said: “Industrial biotechnology has enormous promise in the development of new approaches to medicines development, agriculture, marine and industrial sectors such as food and textiles.
“We are particularly proud to host IBioIC – Scotland’s Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre – at Strathclyde, in the heart of the Glasgow City Innovation District.
“Key to our bid is bringing partners from industry, academia and the public sector together to make an impact of scale on society and the wider economy.”
The Strength in Places Fund will bring benefits across the UK, by enabling projects to tap into the country’s world-class research and innovation capability.
Professor Sir Mark Walport, chief executive of UKRI, said: “Our clear vision is to ensure we benefit everyone through knowledge, talent and ideas.
“Significant support through the Strength in Places Fund will further catalyse economic potential across the country by bringing researchers, industry and regional leadership together to drive sustained growth through world-class research and innovation.”
Work will now begin on taking the Scottish submission to a full bid.
Dame Anne Glover, chair of IBioIC’s governing board, said: “With Strength in Places funding, we aim to boost the economic impact of the vibrant industrial biotechnology sector in Scotland’s central belt.
“We will fast track the pathway from research to commercial deployment by filling gaps in the existing innovation system to unlock further economic impacts from the ‘bio-revolution’ – developing biology-based products and platforms.”
The consortium includes expertise from industrial and academic players in synthetic biology, bio-refining and Grangemouth cluster colocation providers – Ineos, Calachem and Forth Ports – as well as the leading academic institutes in the region.
The universities of Strathclyde, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, the James Hutton Institute and Forth Valley College are all involved, along with Scotland’s enterprise agencies.
Julia Brown, of the high value manufacturing and health team at Scottish Enterprise said: “This bid supports innovation in the transition of Scotland’s national asset Grangemouth from manufacturing based on petrochemical resources to sustainable bio-based high value manufacturing enabled by the bio-economy. This will reduce the population’s reliance on finite fossil resources towards a future of sustainable manufacturing.”
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