London, UK, 2nd October 2018 / SynbiCITE, the UK’s national centre for commercialisation of synthetic biology, is pleased to announce the launch of a new five-year strategy underpinned by a new £5M grant from UKRI and other sources.

The new strategy will see the launch of SynbiCITE 2.0, which aims to expand and develop SynbiCITE’s reach within the UK’s synthetic biology innovation and academic ecosystem, and create a single highly interconnected UK innovation cluster. Four key strategic pillars will drive this:

• SynbiCITE 2.0 at Imperial College London: SynbiCITE aims to relocate to the new Imperial White City Campus and to create a new synthetic biology facility within the next 12 months.
• New partnerships with Synthetic Biology Research Centres (SBRCs) in Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester: To enable SynbiCITE 2.0 to catalyse economic growth via high-value technologies and skills throughout the UK.
• Interaction with all other UK SBRCs and other UK synthetic biology centres: SynbiCITE 2.0 will act as a nucleating point, bringing together UK regions to create a single synthetic biology innovation cluster.
• Establishment of a UK-wide investor consortium and industry club: The Investor Consortium will provide a formal network, bringing together specialist investors from different companies and projects, while the industrial club will provide a forum for industry members from large UK-based companies.

Upon launching this new strategy, Professor Richard Kitney, Co-Director of SynbiCITE, commented “SynbiCITE has been instrumental in furthering the success of synthetic biology in the UK, bringing together industry, academia and government to create an effective and lasting ecosystem. Synthetic biology has a key role to play in growing the UK bioecomomy, and we are excited to continue working to further this goal with SynbiCITE 2.0.”

Professor Paul Freemont, Co-Director of SynbiCITE, added “The success of UK synthetic biology companies illustrates the UK’s strength and value in this sector. This technology has the power to help meet some of the greatest unmet needs our society faces, and we are thrilled this potential has been recognised and supported by UKRI. We look forward to continuing to support and collaborate with the exceptional UK companies in this field.”

Both Professors Freemont and Kitney will be recognised for excellence in leadership in the synthetic biology field at the Fourth Annual Engineering Biology Awards at SynBioBeta’s Global Synthetic Biology Summit 2018. SynBioBeta is the premier innovation network for innovators, investors, and thinkers who share a passion for using synthetic biology to build a better, more sustainable universe.

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For further information, contact:

Emma Pickup, Account Executive
Sciad Communications
E: SynbiCITE@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801
M: +44 (0)7917 193 837

Notes to Editors

About SynbiCITE

Based at Imperial College London, SynbiCITE is the Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for Synthetic Biology, dedicated to promoting the adoption and use of synthetic biology by industry. Its prime objective is to accelerate and promote the commercial exploitation of synthetic biology research and engineering biology applications. As a nucleating point for this rapidly emerging industry, SynbiCITE is designed to deliver sustained and substantial benefits to the UK bioeconomy. SynbiCITE and its partners across the UK and globally are committed to developing this technology through responsible innovation which encompasses ethical, societal and environmental considerations.