Science and Technology Committee calls for urgent action to secure UK’s leadership in a transformative field

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has called on the UK government to take immediate action to harness the potential of engineering biology, a fast-developing field with applications across healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing. The committee’s report, titled Don’t Fail to Scale: Seizing the Opportunity of Engineering Biology, warns that without a cohesive strategy, the UK risks losing the economic and societal benefits of this technology to other nations.

Engineering biology involves designing and building new biological systems, molecules, or organisms. These innovations can create sustainable alternatives to traditional manufacturing processes, such as using bacteria to produce synthetic leather from coconut milk, or developing genetically modified bacteria to generate industrial dyes and fuels. Recent advances, including CRISPR gene-editing and artificial intelligence, place engineering biology at the forefront of scientific innovation, with the potential to drive a new industrial revolution.

The committee’s chair, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, expressed concern over the UK’s ability to capitalise on its research excellence. “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. Pioneering companies urgently need to scale up to become globally competitive—not get stuck in the investment ‘valley of death.’”

The report highlights the need for a coordinated approach across government to support the growth of engineering biology. It recommends prioritising the field within the UK’s Industrial Strategy and ensuring stable funding for research and development. A £2 billion target for R&D investment over ten years, originally set by the government, should be recommitted to, with additional measures introduced to secure stable financial support for laboratories.

Attracting and retaining talent is another critical challenge. The report emphasises the importance of policies to train and recruit top researchers, including from overseas. It also suggests creating new pathways into the field, such as apprenticeships, to broaden participation and ensure a steady supply of skilled professionals.

Scaling up innovation and commercialisation is identified as a particular weakness in the UK’s ecosystem. Many engineering biology startups struggle to grow due to a lack of scale-up investment, often leading companies to relocate abroad, where more supportive environments exist. This trend is a long-standing issue, according to Baroness Brown, who noted, “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.”

The committee also calls for clearer governance and regulation to ensure that engineering biology innovations can be commercialised effectively. Streamlining regulatory processes and reducing barriers to market entry are seen as essential steps to keeping the UK competitive on the global stage.

Engineering biology offers the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including developing crops resilient to climate change, creating sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based production, and advancing precision medicine. However, unlocking this potential requires significant public and private investment, with urgency to prevent the UK from falling behind.

The report advocates for appointing a national sector champion to coordinate the engineering biology sector, drive collaboration between academia, industry, and government, and ensure strategic alignment.

The committee stresses that while the UK has made promising advancements in engineering biology, much more needs to be done to realise its full potential. Without swift action, the country risks losing its competitive edge and watching other nations reap the economic and societal rewards of technologies that were often developed within UK borders.

Engineering biology is poised to reshape industries and create new economic opportunities. The committee’s recommendations aim to ensure that the UK not only remains a global leader in this field but also reaps the benefits of its innovations at home, driving growth, sustainability, and public good.