Imperial College secures £3m grant to advance engineering biology innovation

ENGINEERING biology startups in the UK will have the opportunity to accelerate their commercial growth thanks to Imperial College London’s £3m (US$3.7m) proof-of-concept programme.

The university received the funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and will deliver the programme through its synthetic biology accelerator business, SynbiCITE.

SynbiCITE has worked with more than 50 startups in the chemical sector, including Colorifix, which uses microorganisms to produce naturally occurring pigments, and LabGenius, which conducts research into therapeutic antibodies.

The new proof-of-concept scheme will allow companies to “get their engineering biology breakthroughs out the lab, and on to the marketplace”.

Kedar Pandya, the UKRI’s director of cross-council programmes, said: “The UKRI funding will allow us to provide support and world-class research facilities to more companies.”

World-class resources

Imperial’s programme comprises of three stages, an ideation and design stage, a six-month trial period evaluated by an expert panel, and a further development period backed by funding.

The funding will allow the programme to run over the next two years and startups will have access to SynbiCITE’s scientific and technical staff and facilities, including the London Biofoundry located in Imperial’s White City campus.

Following a successful development phase, SynbiCITE says it will connect startups to external investors, including its own SynBioVen1.

Along with the funding, the UKRI has awarded an additional £300k to Imperial’s Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein.

The centre is developing alternative plant-based protein products that are affordable and nutritious.

Hugh Brady, president of Imperial College London, said: “This investment is a boost to researchers at Imperial and beyond who are already developing truly innovative solutions to global sustainability and health challenges, from animal-free foods and chemical-free textile dyes to developing new vaccines.”

The programme is now open, with the initial deadline for applications closing 31 December.