The project includes investment from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

This funding competition aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using synthetic biology in a commercial setting and highlight the opportunities for UK industry created by technological advancements in synthetic biology.

The ‘Advancing the Industrial Application of Synthetic Biology’ competition for feasibility funding opens on 8 October 2012 and the deadline for registration is 14 November 2012.  Applications must then be submitted by 21 November 2012. 

The competition is open to UK-based companies of any size and to research organisations.  Projects must be business-led and collaborative and are expected to last between 12 and 18 months. Up to 75% public sector funding may be available, and the maximum grant for each project is £375,000. 

The Technology Strategy Board has organised a consortia-building workshop, ‘New Frontiers in Synthetic Biology’, which will take place in London on 10 July to inform delegates of this new funding call, showcase the academic expertise available in the UK, and encourage networking opportunities from which collaborations may develop.

All the information regarding the competition for feasibility funding and the consortia building event are available on the Synthetic Biology Special Interest Group website.

You must sign in and to join this group to access the information on the SynBio-SIG group.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has also announced that it will invest almost £5 million to help the UK’s world-leading researchers in synthetic biology to establish platform technology in the emerging field.