ITI Life Sciences Seeks to Fund Innovative R&D Programme in Synthetic Biology, focusing on Gene & Genome Synthesis and Assembly

04-Apr-2008

ITI Life Sciences issued a Call for Expressions of Interest from organisations or individuals with expertise in synthetic biology techniques that could be applied to Gene & Genome Synthesis and Assembly. ITI Life Sciences' is seeking to commission a new R&D programme to develop novel technologies that can be further developed to create high-value commercial products. Typically, R&D programmes will receive in the range of £2-5 million (US$4-10 million) over an anticipated term of 18-36 months, and are expected to lead to the creation of centres of research excellence in Scotland.

Synthetic Biology is a highly promising new area of biotechnology that merges biology with engineering to create new microorganisms programmed to perform complex biological processes for specific industrial applications. It is a significant advance on current genetic engineering technologies owing to the level of both engineering involved and the controllability of the process.

ITI Life Sciences' market and technology analysis process (foresighting) has concluded that such applications are expected to address market needs in a variety of sectors of high commercial and societal value, ranging from bioenergy, chemical synthesis, drug and vaccine development, biosensor development and tissue engineering. As such, Synthetic Biology is attracting considerable interest from academia, industry and the financial community, and major opportunities exist in the development of enabling technologies to drive this new area forward.

Extensive analysis conducted by ITI Life Sciences, involving engagement and consultation with industry and academia, focusing on trends in Synthetic Biology, has identified key enabling technologies necessary for this field to reach a critical mass (a detailed market foresighting report is available to members of ITI Scotland). As a result of this analysis, ITI Life Sciences is keen to identify R&D 'packages' to form the basis of a commercially viable research programme, the goal of which is to develop innovative tools, strategies and methods that enable Gene & Genome Synthesis and Assembly, and that can be further developed to create commercial products.

Responses are invited from companies, agencies, institutes, academia and individuals. No geographical restrictions apply and ITI Life Sciences welcomes responses to this call from non-UK organisations. ITI Life Sciences is committed to helping its partners achieve success and ensuring the successful onward commercialisation of programme outputs.

Further details of the Call for Expressions of Interest are available online. Responses must be received no later than the 5 May 2008.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/80437/iti-life-sciences-seeks-to-fund-innovative-r-d-programme-in-synthetic-biology-focusing-on-gene-genome-synthesis-and-assembly.html