In early May, IBioIC co-hosted a UK pavilion at the world’s largest synthetic biology event in San Jose, California to showcase the best of UK’s engineering biology capability. 

The Inward Investment Catalyst Fund from Interface and the Scottish Government is aimed at attracting businesses out with Scotland, through developing partnerships with universities, research institutes, colleges and innovation centres.

Addressing heavy metal pollution is one of the most hotly contested areas of environmental research. Several individual treatments, namely, physical, chemical, and biological are being utilised to remove heavy metals from the environment – but they all face challenges in terms of sustainability, expensiveness and in-situ treatment failure. In this article, Leigh Cassidy discusses SEM’s latest approach to the issue.

Carbogenics has announced the opening of their new cutting-edge site, dedicated to the production of their flagship product, CreChar, set to revolutionise the anaerobic digestion (AD) market.

Researchers in Scotland are investigating the potential of converting sewage sludge into a mineral-rich material that could be used to treat water impacted by eutrophication and algal blooms – a phenomenon increasingly affecting lochs and rivers, associated with climate change.

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has launched a refreshed Scottish Bioresource Mapping Tool to help more businesses make the case for investing in biotechnology facilities and processes, boosting the country’s bioeconomy.

A Scottish startup using seaweed as the base for natural fabric dyes could help fashion and textiles manufacturers improve sustainability and reduce their reliance on petrochemical-derived colourings. 

An Edinburgh-based startup is exploring a new technology that could create gluten-safe food products, such as bread, while retaining the taste and texture of the real thing.

The FlexBio project at Heriot-Watt University showcases the innovative use of bacteria to derive valuable products from seaweed, signaling a new era in sustainable biotechnology.

IBioIC members have been successful in the £12 million REforMM CR&D competition from @UK Research and Innovation. Successful organisations will complete collaborative R&D projects to de-risk new approaches to improve resource efficiency.

Prozymi Biolabs Ltd and the University of Edinburgh win Innovation of the Year – sponsored by HGF Ltd at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards for developing a pipeline for identification and characterisation of novel gluten-degrading enzymes.

Aberdeen-based biotechnology company NCIMB is teaming up with innovative Newcastle University Spinout GitLife Biotech in a 12-month project that will investigate the therapeutic potential of gut microbes. The project aims to develop a new class of therapeutics based on living bacteria to prevent or treat disease. The work has been funded by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Nearly £850,000 of investment brings crucial infrastructure to Scotland for the first time

The funding, awarded to the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) through Scottish Enterprise, will support the purchase and installation of a 300-litre fermenter to be hosted at FlexBio – the innovation centre’s scale-up facility based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has supported the growth of Scotland’s industrial biotechnology sector by helping it to attract £35 million of additional funding for R&D, according to new figures revealed to mark its tenth anniversary.

A first of its kind sector benchmark report on diversity, equity, and inclusion from the UK BioIndustry Association (BiA) showed women occupy 51% of roles within the sector. However, while it is positive to see that the gender split has finally balanced out, the report highlighted a continued imbalance at C-suite and CEO level.

Organised by business-academic matchmaking organisation Interface, the Awards celebrate successful partnerships at the cutting-edge of research and development, from local micro-businesses to globally significant discoveries, partnering with universities, colleges and research institutes to change lives in Scotland and beyond.

Now in it’s 9th year, the Awards ceremony will take place at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow on 14th March, when the winners will be presented with awards in seven categories.

Converge has officially opened for applications to its 2024 programme, placing a spotlight on the diverse motivations that drive individuals to start businesses.

Innovate UK has recently awarded almost £600,000 in funding to a consortium led by the UK-based green technology company Sonichem to support its new groundbreaking project called CARMA – carbon-neutral agroforestry-derived resins to materials for automotive applications.

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has been awarded long-term investment from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), securing its position at the forefront of Scotland’s emerging bioeconomy.

The Europe, a high-performance dinghy originally designed over 80 years ago, is now at the forefront of a revolution in biomaterials which will reduce the carbon footprint in sailing. Over the last year and a half, UK-based Sustainable Sailing has been building 75% biobased composite rudders and stocks for the Europe class.