{"id":54477,"date":"2025-01-14T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T09:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=54477"},"modified":"2025-01-14T09:00:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T09:00:12","slug":"uk-at-risk-of-falling-behind-in-engineering-biology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/uk-at-risk-of-falling-behind-in-engineering-biology\/54477\/","title":{"rendered":"UK at risk of falling behind in engineering biology, Lords Committee warns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK risks being trapped in a “doom loop” of stagnation and missed opportunities unless bold action is taken to boost innovation and commercialisation in engineering biology.<\/h2>\n

This is the conclusion of a new report by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, which warns that without urgent intervention, the country’s scientific advancements could be exploited by foreign competitors.<\/p>\n

The report, titled ‘Don’t Fail to Scale: Seizing the Opportunities of Engineering Biology<\/a><\/em>,’ calls for a radical overhaul of investment strategies, regulatory frameworks, and talent pipelines to secure the UK’s position in this fast-evolving field.<\/p>\n

Baroness Brown of Cambridge, chair of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, explained: “Britain is a world leader in scientific innovation, with a heritage that is the envy of the world. But, all too frequently, we are crashing into walls rather than smashing through ceilings.<\/p>\n

“Pioneering companies urgently need to scale up to become globally competitive \u2013 not get stuck in the investment’ valley of death’. The Committee believes that without urgent action across the key areas set out in our report, the UK is at severe risk of losing the potential benefits of a world-leading engineering biology sector.<\/p>\n

“All too often, we hear that when companies reach a certain size, they move abroad for better investment and development prospects, taking most of the economic benefit with them. This failure to scale in the UK is a long-standing issue which requires an urgent, concerted, cross-government approach to fix.”<\/p>\n

What is engineering biology?<\/h3>\n

Engineering biology, also known as synthetic biology, is an interdisciplinary science that reimagines and redesigns biological systems to address real-world challenges.<\/p>\n

By using principles from biology, engineering, and computer science, it transforms sectors such as healthcare, energy, food, and manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Some innovative examples include:<\/p>\n