2016_Aug_IBIOIC_Newsletter_Issue_05

August 2016

ISSUE 05

From concept to adoption – enabling bio-based growth

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Chairman’s foreword 01

Realising the opportunity 02

Energy from waste 04

BIO World Congress 06

Events attended 08

FlexBio 10

Forthcoming events 12

IBioIC technical network 14

Member news 15

Xanthella leads 16

MSc placement focus 17

IB Skills update 20

STEM Ambassadors 23

Synthetic Biology Accelerator 24

The lighter side of IB 27

WELCOME TO THE 2016 IBIOIC NEWSLETTER.WE’VE HAD A BUSY FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR WITH A BREADTH OF NEW MEMBERS JOINING AND EXCITING UPDATES FROM EXISTING MEMBERS. WE HAVE HOSTED AND ATTENDED EVENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD – ENABLING GREAT ADDITIONS TO OUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK AND CONTINUING TO EMPHASISE THE GLOBAL FOOTPRINT OF IB AND IBIOIC ITSELF.

www.IBioIC.com @IBioIC

This newsletter contains extensive updates from our work in education and skills including graduations; STEMoutreach and a new IBioIC qualifi cationto add to our existing portfolio. This pastyear has really seen our strategic focusin upskilling the future IB workforce establish and build momentum. We also explore current IB trends, looking at energy from waste, leveraging synthetic biology for bio-transformation, as well as the many uses of microalgae. We also share one of our greatest achievements this year – the opening of our FlexBio

centre at Heriot-Watt University. This £1.7M brand-new small to medium scale bioprocessing centre will enable many businesses to scale-up and commercialise their concepts, increasing national capacity to deliver industrial manufacturing processes as well as boosting the ability of IBioIC partners to bring new bioproducts to market righthere in Scotland.

We’re also proud to announce the launch of the IBioIC technical network made up of specialist individuals, which will be

available for our members to harness international industry knowledge andstimulate the growth and success of the IB industry at home.

I hope you enjoy reading this bumperedition of our newsletter, it is a testament to the sheer volume of progress being made in the IB sector today. We arehonoured to continue our great work,on behalf of our members and the IBcommunity as a whole.

IAN SHOTT, CHAIRMAN, IBIOIC

Led by Industry for IndustryLed by Industry for Industry www.IBioIC.com @IBioIC

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All of us at IBioIC, our Boards, industrial members and academic partners are hugely excited by the things that are being achieved in our industry. The conference demonstrated the scale and breadth of activity of the sector. Over the course of the two days we heard from over fi fty experts presenting in ten targeted sessions covering technical and business topics within the IB market. Synpromics, Algenuity and Global Bioenergies discussed the key challenges in industry and provided a starting point for strategies and contacts in the synthetic biology space. Meanwhile, academics from the John Innes Centre and Universities of Manchester and St Andrews led a session dedicated to understanding the issues associated with development of multistep biocatalysed bioprocesses and challenges in biotransformation technology. Elsewhere in the conference, a lively discussion followed a session on bioprocessing and scale-up in IB and the facilities and capabilities available.

We were pleased to see extensive knowledge-sharing by IBioIC’s members who highlighted the successes and learnings of their journeys so far. This was key to this year’s conference theme and was well-represented by the likes of Xanthella, GlycoMar, Ingenza Ltd, Advanced Microwave Technologies and GSK. This year we hosted our own Skills Showcase – hearing from some of our high-achieving alumni on how IBioIC’s work in the skills arena has benefi ted them, as well as running a competition for PhD students to present their work and get industry feedback. We’d like to thank all of those who took part and all of the industry contacts that support our students – both past and present.

The celebration of success continued to the evening, as an award was given to the best PhD Presentation and the MSc Student of the Year 2014-15. A delicious three course meal provided the backdrop for a spot of fun, the IBioIC

Our second Annual Conference held on 28th – 29th January attracted over four hundred registeredbio-based professionals, academics and students from across the UK andEurope. ‘Realising the Opportunity’ set the theme for 2016 and showcased the latest market and technical developments in IB,as well as exemplifying IBioIC’s current and future activities. Sessions outlined the IB landscape and opportunities in Scotland, whilst linking communities to future collaborations between industry and academia.

REALISING THE OPPORTUNITY

Led by Industry for IndustryLed by Industry for Industry www.IBioIC.com @IBioIC

Left to right: The conference provided excellent networking for industry, academia and students. Day 1’s plenary session.

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quiz, which reminded us that IB isn’t just a business but a community made up of brilliant personalities and amazing minds.

Our conference speakers included thought leaders of the IB industry from across the world. Organisations, such as the OECD and the World Council on Industrial Biotechnology, provided a global view in the IB sphere highlighting what’s new, where success and progress is happening and discussing the opportunities for IB in Scotland.

The conference ended on a high – future-facing sessions showcased the open access facilities available across the UK, the range of opportunities in innovation funding options available in Scotland and an overview of the role supporting agencies and venture capital agencies can play in the industrial biotechnology landscape.

The exhibition hall and poster areas were popular, with extensive networking taking place during breaks enabling the development of new partnerships and collaborations. We hope the insights and knowledge sharing at this year’s conference inspired many of you to get more involved in the IB community and with us.

For more information on the conference including presentation downloads and biographies, go to: www.ibioic.com/2016_Conference_Info.htm

Led by Industry for Industry www.IBioIC.com @IBioIC

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Left to right: A biorefi nery facility: Copyright Andre Klaassen, Algae refi ning at Xanthella.

ENERGY FROM WASTE: VALORISING THE BIOREFINERY CONCEPT

Our Business Development Manager, Paul Hudman, presented a well-attended talk at this year’s All Energy event in May. All Energy is the UK’s largest exhibition and conference in renewable energy and sustainable technologies. Paul’s talk, entitled ‘I’ll take the high road! Mapping the path to a Scottish Bioeconomy’ covers the role of the biorefi nery in embracing a sustainable future…

The premise of a biorefi nery centre is based on the utilization of the entire biomass input, recycling secondary products, valorising co-products and even producing the very energy with which to power its processes.

Ideally, the biorefi nery will extract the greatest value from all components of the biomass. Facilities have the potential to produce a mix of high-value, low volume products (such as cosmetics and nutraceuticals) and low-value, high-volume products (such as fuel and energy) at a scale compatible with local resources. Low grade heat from the process can be recycled and used, fulfi lling the circular economy principles by closing the loop.

The process of a biorefi nery directly mirrors that of a petro-chemical refi nery, in that crude oil is separated into a range of products that can be used commercially. The difference being, that biorefi neries are fuelled by renewable materials, not fossil feedstocks.

Most biorefi neries focus on biofuels due to the subsidies and incentives of our current policy landscapes. Biological feedstocks include purpose-grown crops (such as sugarcane), woody plants and algae. Many feedstocks are ‘lignocellulosic’ in their nature - they consist of carbohydrate polymer (cellulose and hemicellulose) and an aromatic polymer (lignin).

The similarities between a petrochemical and bio-based facility are so close that retrofi tting is now a possibility. One of the global leaders in the development of biorefi neries is the USA; since 2009, the energy division of the US Department of Agriculture has been promoting a ‘Biorefi nery Assistance Program’.

This is a federal loan that assists in repurposing disused oil refi neries into plants that process biological material.

A program of approximately $181 million had already been in place by 2014.

EVENTS


In other areas of the world, such as Brazil, they are mainly developing biorefi neries focusing on the use of sugarcane as a feedstock for making bio-ethanol. Some 22 million acres of land is inhabited by sugarcane plants. In 2008, 61% of Brazil’s total sugar yield went on to produce 7.3 billion gallons of bioethanol.

We are currently seeing the commercialisation of processes where fuel and high value products are created together to ensure the maximum economic benefi t is extracted per tonne of feed material.

A perfect example of this is the collaborative project between Norwegian fi rm MicroA and IBioIC member GlycoMar Ltd, which has seen the development and patent of a polysaccharide product created in a photobioreactor. This is a chamber that allows the controlled and optimised growth of microalgae. These polysaccharide molecules produced by the algae, Prasinococcus capsulatus, have natural anti-infl ammatory and anti-viral properties, making them an ideal application for use in sunscreens, moisturisers and wound care products. The research is the fi rst in a series of projects, funded by our Exemplar

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competition, which will increase the UK economy’s share of the predicted £360 billion industrial biotechnology global market.

Following the success of the project, IBioIC member Glycomar Ltd and MicroA formed Prasinotech Ltd, the fi rst algae refi nery in the world built to manufacture these polysaccharides from microalgae. The fi rst two products from Prasinotech Ltd will be active ingredients for use in cosmetic skincare which will have a combined annual value of £1 million in the third year of production.

A key principle voiced by the Scottish Government is the desire to embrace a more circular economy and to encourage us to utilise all ‘waste’. We are currently working on this principle with GSK through a project to generate fermentable sugars from locally available waste streams. Whether this is timber waste from nearby forestry operations or paper waste from local mills the common theme is that it all contains cellulose. This sugar will be used to replace corn-based glucose in GSK’s process with the remaining plant material being burnt to produce heat and power for the site.

Local solutions which unlock ‘stranded’ resources are also possible. These include local low carbon demonstrator projects, which show a local energy economy approach, linking local energy generation to local energy use. In this area, we are supporting Xanthella, a small industrial design company that is working on producing systems to grow microalgae. They are championing the use of algae as a new high value industry for remote and rural areas by using cheap renewable energy to power the photobioreactors that are used to grow the algae.

Algae can be grown on brown fi eld sites in enclosed vessels not needing the large acreage typically suitable for agriculture. What’s more, Scotland boasts a long coastline and prominent continental shelf, both of which, create an ideal habitat for macro-algae. Some strains of cultured seaweed can increase their biomass by up to 5% a day. This rate of growth far exceeds even the fastest woody crops. Algae also have high protein and oil contents, which could be used to make valuable chemicals.

The ASLEE (Algal Solutions for a Local Energy Economy) project is exploring the prospect of manufacturing with renewable electricity in remote and rural areas that produces a sustainable and competitive advantage. The project will also investigate how biomanufacturing can allow a higher deployment of renewables in these areas through electricity demand and grid balancing thus benefi ting the local economy. The aims of much biomanufacturing are high value, low volume products at a scale compatible with local resources. The growth of algae matches these requirements and makes the project the fi rst in the world to take this whole system approach and incorporate a number of innovative technical and economic features.

Whilst much of the technology behind commercialisation of the biorefi nery is still in nascent stages, the concept has been proven. The collaborative projects between our members have demonstrated that the challenges around raw material availability and homogeneity, scalability of the model and mapping of the value chain can be addressed to further the biorefi nery’s realisation at a commercial-scale.

In this area we work with a range of organisations in Scotland and across the UK. If you want to fi nd out more about how IBioIC can help you with your concept or organisation then pleaseget in touch! Email Paul Hudman [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @HudmanPaul.

One of the premier events for industrial biotechnology in the world, the 2016 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology played host to over 900 industry executives, innovators, academics and policy makers.

Mirroring the growth seen across many areas of the industry over the past 12 months, this year’s congress opened with a special pre-conference workshop titled, ‘Growing a Billion Ton Bioeconomy in the United States’ which led with discussions on the huge potential for growing the national bioeconomy. For the fi rst time ever, the congress also saw presentations from the technology transfer phase of development, providing attendees with an insight into the latest innovations the industry has to offer.

One of the most popular workshops was titled ‘What Investors Require When Making a Bioeconomy Investment’ and focussed on the key decisions potential investors consider when determining whether or not to invest in a company or technology.

A team of fi nancial moderators chaired the workshop, whilst panellists discussed the areas of technology of interest to investors; the levels of risk involved inthe investment and the strength of intellectual property protection. The workshop provided an invaluable insightto the attending start-ups and innovatorsamongst the audience.

IBioIC’s Business Development Manager, Paul Hudman moderated the session, ‘Back to the Future: Rebalancing the global economy through innovation and

manufacturing’ which formed part of the Growing Global Biobased Markets theme and provided an insight into the existing and emerging technologies and processes affecting the growth and sustainability of the global bio-based economy.

This year also featured a workshop on ‘Building a Young Scientist Pipeline for a More Diverse Science Future’. As with many industries, the life sciences are facing a critical shortage of talent – a shortage which is only expected to increase over the coming decades. The workshop involved attendees brainstorming in small groups to fi nd possible solutions for how the industrial biotechnology industry can better promote and inspire the younger generations to pursue a career in life sciences.


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BIO WORLD CONGRESS ON INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGYSAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTRE

One of the most exciting plenary sessions ‘Outer Space: The Next Biotech Frontier, featured NASA astronaut, Catherine “Cady” Coleman who talked about her part of STS-73 Columbia Microgravity Laboratory mission, focused on materials science, biotechnology, combustion science and the physics of fl uids housed in the pressurised Spacelab module.

With an established presence at the World Congress, 2016 saw IBioIC bring something more than just our now infamous Whisky tasting! The Synthetic Biology Accelerator call, an open call for projects at regional, national and international level was launched with up to $1.5m funding available for projects, providing us with a perfect platform to engage our international network and generated plenty of interest from synthetic biology using companies keen to work with our academics.

Recognising that the US market has great potential in the area of synthetic biology, IBioIC’s trade delegation visited a number of companies in and around the San Diego area to promote the funding call, hear about their expertise and discuss potential cross collaborative opportunities.

The 2016 World Congress on Biotechnology was a resounding success for the IBioIC team. They were given the chance to see showcases of the best industrial biotechnology in the industry and form connections with the wider IB community; this will help drive the growth of the IBioIC network for years to come.


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Left to right: Team Scotland’s trade delegation visited SynBio companies inSan Diego. Cady Coleman stops by the IBioIC stand to talk all things space & biotech. Whisky tasting at the IBioIC stand.

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SCOTTISH RENEWABLES ANNUAL CONFERENCEEdinburgh, 1st – 2nd March, 2016The Scottish Renewables Annual Conference explored the future of renewable energy in Scotland and the sector’s role in achieving the UK’s climate change targets.

Delegates, including IBioIC’s Business Development Manager, Paul Hudman, fl ocked to the conference to listen to experts discuss the future of emerging renewable technologies and how the continued growth of renewable energy sectors is contributing to energy security.

BIOWALESWales, 1st – 2nd March, 2016Now in its fourteenth year, BioWales is the fl agship event for the life sciences sector in Wales. IBioIC’s well-travelled Business Development Manager, Jude Huggan attended the event to listen to some intriguing presentations on new innovations in proton therapy technology and unexpected biomedical discoveries. This year’s event gave start-ups the opportunity to impress investors in a dragon’s den style pitch worth £2000. The event also saw a record number of attendees with over 700 visitors from the likes of Turkey, Canada, Israel, India and Spain.

SYNBIOBETALondon, 6th – 8th April, 2016Europe’s premier event for synthetic biology brought together a global community of industry leaders, start-ups, innovators and academics from the synthetic biology sector. Held at Imperial College London, the central theme of the two days covered the current state of the synthetic biology sector and how emerging tools and platforms are adding commercial value to it.

EVENTS ATTENDEDIt’s been a busy fi rst half to the year for IBioIC withactive participation at the following events:


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SYNBIOBETA (CONT)London, 6th – 8th April, 2016In addition to providing a range of fascinating talks, the conference offered an excellent space for networking opportunities with over 600 attendees from the UK and overseas. IBioIC’s Core member Synpromics also attended the event with Managing Director, Michael Roberts giving an excellent presentation on how the company is delivering synthetic promoters for custom-made gene regulation.

BIO WORLD CONGRESS ON INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGYCalifornia, 17th – 20th April, 2016Recognised as one of the key international industrial biotechnology conferences, this year’s BIO World Congress attracted over 900 industry leaders, government offi cials and investors from around the world. Held at the San Diego Convention Centre, the congress included adynamic range of presentations, networking sessions and workshops. As well as attending plenary talks and conference sessions, the IBioIC team held over thirty meetings over the event promoting the Synthetic Biology Accelerator call. For a full update on our activity at the congress, go to the ‘BIO World’ page.

SKILLS FOR INDUSTRYGlasgow, 4th May, 2016Held in Glasgow’s Technology and Innovation Centre, the half-day event brought together industry members, academics and students. The day was well attended with presentations and workshop sessions on the need for continued professional development

in biotechnology, STEM outreach in schools and the various pathways to employment in IB. The event successfully strengthened existing relationships between employers and created new links between education and industry. Amongst the range of impressive talks, Susanne Boyle, IBioIC’s Skills Manager gave a presentation on the work IBioIC is doing to help students start a career in biotechnology. More can be found on the Skills for Industry day and other skills-focused events in the skills section.

ALL ENERGYGlasgow, 10th – 11th May 2016Launched in 2001, All Energy brings together industry suppliers, experts and thought leaders from across the renewable energy sector. This year’s annual conference welcomed over 6,700 attendees from 45 different countries, with talks on the whole spectrum of renewable energy generation including, low carbon solutions, local energy economies and smart cities. IBioIC’s Business Development Manager, Paul Hudman gave a well-attended presentation entitled ‘Energy from Waste’. For more information on Paul’s talk see pages 04and 05.

BIOBASED CHEMICALS WORLDAmsterdam, 24th – 25th May, 2016This two day conference featured round-table discussions, networking sessions and exhibitions. Two main topics dominated the two days; quantifying the value, impact, and risks of bio-based materials and the importance of actively seeking partnerships. The conference ended with an interactive voting session that asked attendees how they felt about the future of the industry, providing an overwhelmingly optimistic response with 71% feeling positive and 29% feeling very positive.

EUROPEAN CONGRESS ON BIOTECHNOLOGYKrakow, 3rd – 6th July, 2016 Organised by the European Federation of Biotechnology, the European Congress on Biotechnology is one of Europe’s leading conferences for academics and industrial biotechnologists. IBioIC’s Technical Director Ian Archer attended this year’s congress which is now in its 17th year.The three day event featured trade exhibitions, publications workshops, an insight into the Asian Federation of Biotechnology and presentations on the entire spectrum of the industrial biotechnology sector.

SYNBIOBETA ACTIVATEEdinburgh, 7th July, 2016Focusing on the tools and technology of synthetic biology, SynBioBeta Activate provided business executives and academics within the sector with an insight into the latest automations and robotics that are making biology easier to engineer. Hosted at the University of Edinburgh, the event incorporated the offi cial opening of the BBSRC-funded Edinburgh Genome Foundry, the fi rst fully automated DNA assembly platform in the UK. IBioIC’s Technical Director, Ian Archer and Businesses Development Managers, Paul Hudman and Judith Huggan attended the event and were treated to a glimpse of the emerging new products and applications in synthetic biology.

Led by Industry for Industry

We are proud to announce theopening of a brand-new,bioprocessing centre at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

The centre will focus on research and projects that are ready to scale-up but require facilities to trial these at a commercial level before investment. Aptly named FlexBio due to its fl exible, downstream bioprocessing capabilities, our centre will allow hundreds of UK businesses to scale-up and commercialise their concepts in Scotland.

Industrial biotechnology is growing rapidly within Scotland and is expected to bring £900m to the Scottish economy by 2025. As a young sector, much of the research and projects are new concepts; they need to be tested before they can be considered for the commercial market.

To save on the high expense of a pilot scale operation, these organisations use communal centres that offer the equipment needed to test their concepts.

However, prior to the development of the FlexBio centre, there has been a UK-wide vacuum in the provision of scale-up facilities at this size and many organisations are forced to take their projects abroad in order to achieve scale-up tests.

Our other recently opened facility at the University of Strathclyde has already done much to refocus the industrial biotechnology sector towards Scotland. The Rapid Bioprocess Prototyping Centre (RBPC), opened by IBioIC, has enabled our members and partnering universities to quickly analyse and optimise processes for new synthetic strains in industrial biotechnology processes.

The RBPC houses the most advanced technology available to rigorously assess the potential of new cell lines, bio-products and novel approaches to bioprocessing. This is increasing national capacity to deliver industrial manufacturing processes, boosting the ability of IBioIC partners to bring new bioproducts to market.

Whilst the RBPC has made strides in discovering and accelerating the industrial potential of new processes for the Scottish IB community, the FlexBio centre will provide many services that cannot be found elsewhere in Europe. This has made it an attractive option for many companies both in the UK and abroad. As a fl exible facility it is able to cover all types of industrial bioprocessing; to date there has been

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www.IBioIC.com @IBioIC

To save on the high expense of a pilot scale operation, these organisations use communal centres that offer the equipment needed to test their concepts.

However, prior to the development of the FlexBio centre, there has been a UK-

OUR NEW £1.7M FLEXBIO CENTRE: BRINGING THE GLOBAL IB COMMUNITY TO SCOTLAND

Left to right: FlexBio’s Downstream Bioprocessing Laboratory; IBioIC’s CEO Roger Kilburn and Sasol Technology UK MD Bob Tooze at the opening.

interest in using the centre for projects as diverse as therapeutic antibodies, skin care products, commodity chemicals and bio fuels.

FlexBio will provide a range of new opportunities for industry in Scotland and the wider UK. We would like to encourage applications for using the centre from every sector. A newly developed technical team will be available to advise non-experts in using the centre, so we expect a variety of unique and innovative projects to be born from the facility.

Both of our centres, which attracted a total investment of £2.7m from the Scottish Funding Council, Heriot-Watt and the University of Strathclyde, will support the £30m research programme planned by IBioIC over the next fi ve years, providing signifi cant opportunities for Scotland to increase its competitiveness in the global industrial biotechnology market.

For more information on either of the new centres please contact:

fl [email protected]@ibioic.com


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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

VENTUREFEST SCOTLANDGlasgow, 1 September 2016Venturefest Scotland is a one day event for entrepreneurs, investors and innovators, who are seeking to grow their business, identify disruptive innovations and connect with a wider network of academics and industries. Taking place at the Glasgow Science Centre, fi ve key themes will feature throughout the day; digital innovation and trends, business growth and development, innovation, funding and productivity and the business pitch. Venturefest Scotland is part of a wider network which works closely with Innovate UK, the Knowledge Transfer Network and other national partners to build collaboration between these innovators and business.

EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERINGIreland, 11 – 14 September 2016First staged in 1996, the purpose of the three day event is to provide a platform for academics, industry leaders, policy makers and investors to present the latest research and industrial applications in biochemical engineering. Spanning the entire biochemical engineering sector, there will be numerous presentations ranging from cell and tissue engineering to systems biotechnology and metabolic engineering. As with previous ESBES symposiums, the event will provide an excellent opportunity for networking and relationship building between industry, academia and early career researchers.

IBioIC will be participating in various events overthe coming months, details of which can be found below:

THE EUROPEAN FORUM FOR INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE BIOECONOMY (EFIB)Glasgow, 18 – 20 October 2016This October, over 650 business leaders, policy makers and brand owners will descend upon Glasgow for one of Europe’s premier events in industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy. The forum is held for those within the sector who are committed to a shift towards renewable, biologically-based manufacturing. EFIB 2016 is organised by EuropaBio and Smithers Rapra and is supported in Glasgow by Team Scotland, which includes IBioIC, Scottish Enterprise, SECC and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and partners such as The Knowledge Transfer Network and Innovate UK.

With opportunities for collaboration between Scottish and European organisations and institutions, the event will help ensure Scotland’s position as a world leader in the industrial biotechnology sector. What’s more, the event will increase the visibility of Scottish business and partnership opportunities, bringing a wealth of potential European investment to the country.

MAKING CONNECTIONSEdinburgh, 14 September 2016A key benefi t of IBioIC membership ishaving access to our events programme. Following the success of our fi rst event, IBioIC invite you to attend and participate in our second speed networking event, designed to bring together key decision makers from across our industrial membership, to provide an environment for new collaborative discussion between members to take place and to provide further information on future IBioICfunding calls and details on how to apply. This member only event takes placeat the Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh on Wednesday 14th September.

Numbers are limited so please takethis opportunity to apply early to avoid missing out. If you would like to attend, please contact Judith Huggan for registration details.

AQUACULTURE EUROPEEdinburgh, 20 – 23 September 2016Organised by the European Aquaculture society, Aquaculture Europe presents the latest science and industry developments which encourage sustainable growth in aquaculture. Discussion topics will range from genetics and genomics to microalgae and farming operations.

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17TH INTERNATIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM AND EXHIBITIONMelbourne, 24 – 27 October 2016Under southern Australia’s sunny skies, the international biotechnology community will gather at the Melbourne Convention Centre for one of the world’s largest biotechnology events.

More than 1000 participants from academia and industry will be in attendance to explore the advances and latest technologies in science and applied biotechnologies. Topics across the three day symposium include, but are not limited to; agri-business, bioenergy and bio-refi nery andbiosensors and nanotechnology.

IET/SYNBICITE ENGINEERING BIOLOGY CONFERENCE London, 13 – 15 December 2016This three day conference provides a space for the international synthetic biology community to come together and share their latest research and fi ndings in synthetic biology and how they are being adopted and commercialised by industry. The conference’s scope covers the foundational tools and technologies in synthetic biology research, the global social impact on the community and applications of research.

IET/SYNBICITE ENGINEERING IET/SYNBICITE ENGINEERING BIOLOGY CONFERENCE London, 13 – 15 December 2016This three day conference provides a space for the international synthetic biology community to come together and share their latest research and fi ndings in synthetic biology and how they are being adopted and commercialised by industry. The conference’s scope covers the foundational tools and technologies in synthetic biology research, the global social impact on the community and applications of research.


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IBIOIC 3RD ANNUAL CONFERENCEGlasgow, 26 – 27 January 2017The date has been set and plans are already in motion for IBioIC’s 3rd annual conference. Taking place at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow, ‘Delivering Impact’ will be the theme for 2017 and promises to once again to be a high energy and thought provoking conference.

Further information will be made available in the coming months and until then, you can watch the highlights from previous events on the ‘IBioIC Scotland’ YouTube channel.

BIOBASED WORLDGermany, 15 – 16 February 2017Focusing on the practical application of biotechnology to biobased industries, this trade show event offers a range of presentations and exhibitions on businesses with biobased products that play a key role in our everyday lives as well as the wider supply chain. The exhibition will showcase the bioeconomy as a whole and offer an overview of the latest enabling innovations, products, technologies and services.

7TH BIOMARINE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONVENTIONNorway, 19 – 21 October 2016This year’s BioMarine Business Convention will focus on demonstrating the potential and feasibility of achieving a circular economy within the biomarine industry. The convention will also explore the way we envisage the issue of recycling and the challenges in adopting a fully circular approach to the biomarine economy. Amongst an array of fascinating topics, on the agenda is a ministry panel discussion, talks on marine ingredients – which will be of particular interest to the attending IBioIC members – and workshops in fi sh health, biorefi neries and biotechnology.

ALGAE BIOMASS SUMMITPhoenix, 23 – 26 October 2016 Leading industry suppliers, technology providers and producers of algae products from around the world will convene at the Renaissance Glendale Phoenix Hotel in Arizona to fi nd out about the latest developments and technologies in Algae Biomass. Every sector across the algae utilization industry will be in attendance, including those involved in fi nancing, algal ecology, genetic systems, carbon partitioning, engineering & analysis, biofuels, animal feeds, fertilizers, bioplastics, supplements and foods.

STIMULATING IB GROWTH THROUGH OUR NEW TECHNICAL NETWORK

IB is a complex multi-disciplinary subject where no individual organisation has the expertise or the capacity to develop and commercialise a bioprocess by themselves. Our aim is to cover these gaps by facilitating collaborations and guide organisations from a concept or idea, through to industry adoption. We do this already by bridging the gap between education and industry and spanning all four colours of IB - our new technical network aims to go even further…

One of our USPs that we are most proud of is acting as the single point of contact for industries seeking guidance on how to utilise IB within organisations. However, it’s not always going to be feasible for IBioIC staff to provide expertise across the entire IB space, nor is it desirable as much of the expertise they need may only be on an ad hoc basis. To address this, we are launching a new technical network made up of specialist individuals to be made available for our member companies.

Some of these consultants will be from Scotland’s existing academic capabilities but some will come from the rest of the world, and will be representative of areas where Scotland lacks excellence and expertise. The aim here is to harness international industry knowledge to stimulate the growth and success of theIB industry at home.

IBioIC member companies will have very fast access to highly commercially valuable information on request. This will allow them to rapidly assess opportunities and turn them into development programmes. The consultants may be directly involved with project programmes providing technical support and commercial advice including guidance through the IP landscape. Crucially, access to independent, expert advice in specifi c areas of need will de-risk IB development programmes, thereby increasing the likelihood of investment in such programmes. The consultants’ knowledge-sharing will help companies rapidly understand the precedent for new projects, the IP landscape associated with new technologies and identifying the routes to market.

The IBioIC consultants will have expertise covering at least one of the major areas of biotechnology (e.g. feedstock supply and processing, biochemistry, molecular biology, fermentation, bio-metrology or downstream processing) but can also be called upon for generalist queries. Consultants, potentially working in conjunction with each other, will be able to provide techno-commercial expertise across all aspects of IB.

The network of consultants will be complementary in promoting our core values - Linking Communities, Technical Expertise and Providing the Tools. These are included but not limited to:

• Provide direct techno/commercial advice to member companies seeking to identify opportunities and de-risk development programmes

• Act as ambassadors for IBioIC andthe Scottish biotechnology sector

• Participate in projects providing expert advice in technical areas

• Assist in project monitoring to ensure contributions from partners refl ect investment by IBioIC and the commitments of the member companies

• Act as an independent ‘sanity check’ for projects, advising on precedent, competition, position in the IP landscape and possible unforeseen ‘red fl ags’

Best of all, some access to the consultancy network will be offered free of charge as a benefi t of IBioIC membership to Core and Leading Members at various levels! For more information, get in touch with our Technical Director, Ian Archer [email protected]

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MEMBER NEWS

The algae, Prasinococcus capsulatus,has natural anti-infl ammatory and anti-viral properties, making them optimum for use in the cosmetics and nutraceutical markets, potentially in sunscreens, moisturisers and wound care products. The ingredients are completely natural – a novelty in the cosmetics industry – and are highly sustainable, their production requires only seawater, light and CO2. Products containing these ingredients could be available to consumers withinthree years.

Following the success of the project, GlycoMar and MicroA have formed Prasinotech Ltd - the fi rst algae refi nery in the world built to manufacture these polysaccharides from microalgae. Registered in Scotland, Prasinotech will have a major role in Scotland’s economy and will be the fi rst company to grow from IBioIC support, which aims to incubate seven start-ups by 2020. The fi rst two products from Prasinotech Ltd will be active ingredients for use in cosmetic skincare which have a combined annual value of £1m in the third year of production.

In May, GlycoMar and MicroA also announced that they have secured funding for a project with the aim of providing a novel sugar replacement ingredient to the global food market. The project brings GlycoMar and MicroA together with Mars Chocolate Ltd. and builds on several years of R&D conducted by all the partners. The ingredient is a specialist carbohydrate sustainably manufactured from marine microalgae which can be used as a natural sugar replacement in food. The project will demonstrate new technology at an industrial pilot scale to grow microalgae and purify the product from the microalgae cultures. These partners bring together the right skills to develop a game-changing sugar replacement product, which will improvethe health profi le of confectionery and other foods.

We’re proud to say that projects like this bring to life exactly what a difference IB can make - taking something as simple as algae to create products with real healthcare benefi ts that are sustainable and have a high market value. Almost every market has use for IB - it’s our job to match industry and academic partners and speed up the process. To this end, we’re pleased to announce a 3.5 year Postgraduate Research Studentship with GlycoMar open for applications now.

The project, funded by IBioIC, alongside GlycoMar and the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry, aims to develop automated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)-based characterisation of oligosaccharide mixtures without the need for their physical separation. The characterisation of oligosaccharide mixtures produced by depolymerisation is one of the bottlenecks in the discovery and subsequent development of scalable downstream processing of active oligosaccharides. GlycoMar is exploring the pharmaceutical potential of marine polysaccharides and needs to structurally characterise molecules selected for clinical development.

The student will be expectedto spend some time at GlycoMar,situated in a beautiful location on theWest Coast of Scotland, preparing poly/oligosaccharides via depolymerisation and chromatographic separation. The studentship (£14,200 in academic year 2016-17) kicks off in September 2016;get in touch with University of Edinburgh’sDr Dusan Uhrin for more information [email protected].

GLYCOMAR’S MICROALGAE MAKE A SPLASH IN COSMECEUTICALS, CHOCOLATE AND SKILLS

In January, Core member GlycoMar announced their discovery of an anti-viral and anti-inflammatory carbohydrate in microscopic algae (microalgae) which has huge potential to change the cosmetics market. The research is the first in a series of projects we have funded through our Accelerator Programme which highlight how IB could increase the UK economy’s share of the predicted £360bn global IB market.

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Douglas McKenzie - CEO, Xanthella

XANTHELLA LEADS ON ADVANCING THE LOCAL ENERGY ECONOMY

At All-Energy in May, our Business Development Manager Paul Hudman spoke about local low carbon demonstrator projects, which use a local energy economy approach by linking local energy generation to local energy use. In this area, IBioIC is supporting Core member Xanthella, an industrial design company that is working on producing systems to grow microalgae. They are championing the use of algae as a new, high value industry for remote and rural areas by using cheap renewable energy to power the photobioreactors used to grow the algae.

In June, Xanthella announced the start of a new pioneering project to bring new industry to rural areas of Scotland using renewable energy to produce high value products.

The £2 million, two-year project is led by Xanthella and will be in partnership with ALIenergy, VCharge, University of the West of Scotland, FAI Aquaculture, SgurrEnergy, Woodland Renewables

and the University of Stirling’s Marine Environment Research Laboratory at Machrihanish.

The ASLEE project (Algal Solutions for Local Energy Economy) has been awarded £500,000 from the Scottish Government’s Local Energy Challenge Fund for the fi rst year of its feasibility studies. If this is successful in the fi rst year, a large scale algal production facility will be built at Ardnamurchan in the second year. This will be the largest algal production facility in the UK and will help unlock the potential of locally owned renewable energy to transform the prospects of communities and industry in some of Scotland’s most remote areas.

The process is ideal for matching with intermittent renewable energy generation, using energy at times when it is abundant and cheap, and providing a valuable grid balancing service at the same time. Xanthella CEO and Project Leader Dr Douglas McKenzie is delighted that Xanthella’s project has been

chosen by the Local Energy Challenge Fund to test out what is an exciting and hugely innovative venture:

“Scotland has massive potential for expanding its use of renewable energy but problems with the electrical grid structure means that much of this potential cannot be used. If we had new uses for the electricity near where the renewable electricity is produced then we could remove this constraint.

“Microalgae are a hugely versatile industrial product. We already use them in local aquaculture but actually � y them in from Japan and the USA rather than manufacture them locally. � is project has the potential to allow us to develop renewable production in our remote and rural areas much faster than we are currently doing and to make algal production much cheaper. All of this means more jobs and a better economy for some of the most remote and vulnerable areas in Scotland”.

Congratulations to all at Xanthella!

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Craig Allan, CelluComp

Research project title: Enzymatic optimisation of curran from sugar beet pellets

Having gained his BSc (Hons) in Forensic Sciences from the Abertay University in 2015, Craig Allan saw the MSc in Industrial Biotechnology as a great opportunity to pursue his passion within biology and renewables. He was particularly attracted to the opportunity to complete a work placement within the biotechnology sector. The collaborative nature of the MSc degree also appealed since it enabled access to teaching by academic experts at eight different universities across Scotland.

Craig enjoyed all aspects of the taught course and found the Bioprocessing module delivered by the University of Strathclyde and the Practical Systems Biology module delivered by University of Edinburgh the most interesting but also, the most challenging. The lab visits to both IBioIC fermentation labs in Strathclyde and Heriot-Watt Universities was a great experience and put the theoretical knowledge he had learnt into a practical setting.

Craig undertook his industrial project with CelluComp and as the business is going through signifi cant growth; he was able to see fi rst-hand the steps taken to get from lab scale to production scale.

Being part of the research and development activity of Curran, for Craig, no two days were the same. To be successful, Craig had to apply effective organisation and planning skills to design and execute experiments with time course sampling and analysis throughout the week.

During the CelluComp placement Craig acquired new laboratory skills and benefi ted from the constructive feedback of his industrial supervisor who encouraged critical thinking in relation to all aspects of the research. This has supported the development of his practical and theoretical ability in regards to material science pertinent to CelluComp and Craig took full advantage of his placement, familiarised himself with daily operations within all areas (SOP’s, Health & Safety and customer relations etc.) while supporting the wider lab team during busier periods.

Craig states that the industrial placement has been very enjoyable and looking to his future career would like to secure a position within a biotechnology business, ideally with the opportunity to pursue a PhD whilst gaining further industry experience.

The collaborative MSc in Industrial Biotechnology is unique in its design. It affords graduate students the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and industry experience desirable for a successful career within industrial biotechnology.

Developed in direct response to industry, this 12 month Master’s degree course, funded by the Scottish Funding Council, is delivered by academic experts across eight Scottish Higher Education Institutions and includes a three month industrial research project, typically hosted by one of IBioIC’s industrial members.

Now in its second year of delivery and having benefi ted from a robust academic and industry evaluation, we thought it was time to share the experiences, perspectives and aspirations of some of our current students through a series of case studies. We caught up with fi ve of our current placement students to fi nd out what they’re up to…

MSc PLACEMENT FOCUS


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Antony Fong, Ingenza

Research project title: Application of serine integrase genome editing for biofuel applications

Antony’s initial interest in the Industrial Biotechnology MSc stemmed from his desire to learn about how biology is being applied to industry, as well as the opportunity to travel around Scotland. Through the various modules, the course allowed him to visit a number of different universities around the country.

Out of all the topics he studied on the course, his favourite modules were Renewable Energy Technologies at Abertay University and Synthetic Biology at the University of Glasgow for their practical application towards achieving a more sustainable future. However, for Antony, being exposed to his colleagues’ work and having the opportunity to discuss it with them was one of the most rewarding aspects, giving him an insight into how industry operates.

This has been a major advantage of the course for Antony; gaining a perspective of what science is like in large companies, allowing him to think about science in a commercial aspect. In addition to this, his communication skills have improved, becoming more confi dent in contributing in meetings and discussing issues that arise in the labs.

Whilst on the course, Antony experienced the development of the biotechnology industry in Scotland, seeing fi rst-hand how biology is applied to large-scale industrial processes and how it is playing a large part in the UK’s future. What’s more, by getting fi rst-hand industry experience, Antony has seen that the career opportunities open to him are far more expansive than what he was lead to believe at undergraduate level.

Antony is hoping to continue the research he carried out with his placement company, Ingenza, and is considering undertaking a PhD to further his careerin science and research.

Hannah Flemming, GSK

Research project title: Evaluation of sustainable feedstocks for use in antibiotic production

As an innovative and emerging sector in Scotland, biotechnology was already an area of interest for Hannah.

It was the range of industrial biotechnology areas covered, as well as the incorporation of an industrial placement that made the MSc such an attractive option for her to pursue after her undergraduate studies.

In carrying out her research project, Hannah learned a range of new skills such as how to complete enzymatic starch hydrolysis and how to carry out assays using automated analysers.

While on her industrial placement at GSK she also improved her aseptic techniques and microbiology skills.

Over the course of a single day during her project, Hannah would usually help out in the High Throughput Screening department, taking samples from hydrolysis shake fl asks and measuring glucose concentrations.

She is considering both a PhD position and employment within the biotechnology sector now her MSc is complete – watch this space for more info soon.

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Barbara Guimaraes, Xanthella

Research project title: Effect of narrow spectrum light on cultures of microalgae and cyanobacteria

With a background in biology and a keen interest in sustainability, Barbara undertook the MSc in Industrial Biotechnology for the chance to learn more about the application of science in industry. Having been drawn to the course in the hope of improving her understanding of integrative and complex systems, she most enjoyed learning about renewable energy at Abertay University and bioprocessing at the University of Strathclyde.

The renewable energy module offers the opportunity to learn about circular economies and how to obtain energy from organisms, whilst bioprocessing provides an insight into the processes behind large-scale cultivation. For Barbara it was the research project undertaken at Xanthella that was the most rewarding part of the course. The company’s environment allowed her to get involved in all parts

of the business and to learn about the key areas of photobioreactors and LED systems.

She states working alongside others in the industry as being one of the major benefi ts of the course and this allowed her to learn from colleagues and to quickly grasp more complex techniques such as algal mass cultivation and control systems. A typical day would often involve inspecting master cultures, the photobioreactor and the air fl ow systems, whilst also recording cell growth and collecting samples.

The MSc degree is designed to allow students to explore all aspects of industrial biotechnology and its practical application in industry. Combining academic and working environments ensures that those on the course aregiven the opportunity to discover what they wish to pursue afterwards. Barbara enjoyed her time so much at Xanthella, that she has accepted a position at the company as an algal technician where she will be working with their photobioreactors and LED tile systems.

Teodora Stoyanova, GSK

Research project title: Penicillin production, role of phenylacetic acid and 2 – hydroxyphenylacetic acid formation and effects

Like many students considering an MSc in Industrial Biotechnology, it was the diversity of topics covered on the course that interested Teodora.

She found the synthetic biology module offered at the University of Glasgow particularly interesting as it required a lot of practical work, as well as applying academic knowledge. She found the hands on experience in an industrial environment and being able to drive projects forward the most rewarding and the practical experience highly benefi cial.

Teodora has now completed her industrial placement with GSK. A typical dayworking on her research project would include sampling production fermenters, analysing samples and calculating concentrations of different substances.

This has given her experience in sampling industrial size fermenters and additional skills in analytical testing techniques, in addition to improving her ability to prioritise tasks and plan work well in advance.

Teodora now hopes to start a career inthe industrial biotechnology industry.


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SKILLS

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LEAPS AND BOUNDS IN IB SKILLS

Scotland’s HEI’s have world class skills in research areas including feedstock manipulation, synthetic biology, biocatalysis. We boast applied research in areas directly relevant to the exploitation of IB, such as bioprocessing, biofuels, and waste management and upgrading. We also have a strong and vibrant IB industry here – although in its infancy. Empowering the students of today with essential STEM and IB skills is fundamental to ensuring a sustainable future economy for Scotland. Given this background, you’ll understand why we are serious about skills and education and why part of our strategic focus is to provide a skilled workforce for the burgeoning IB sector.

To this end, the past year has seen signifi cant achievements in our skills work. We’ve not only seen our fi rst cohort of MScs graduate we’ve further expanded our STEM outreach (our ambassadors make a bang on page 23) and launched an HND in IB. We’ve also attended a wealth of events to enhance our knowledge and make the right connections to bring the best outcomes to our work. Finally, we hosted our very own Skills for Industry Day for the third year running, to weigh in on what the industry thinks is key when it comes to skills and training. Read on for all the updates…

STEM Scotland – Edinburgh, March 2016Hosted by Holyrood Magazine and the Scottish Government, this event was a unique opportunity to explore the current STEM education landscape and discuss how best to address the current challenges. Bringing together a variety of stakeholders from primary and secondary education, industry, and local and national government, this event allowed us to explore the latest education developments, share knowledge and expertise, and champion best practice.

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Angela Constance MSP (and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning) delivered positive news with the announcement of a new Professional Baccalaureate and a commitment to gaining parity of esteem for vocational and academic STEM career paths. Similarly, the importance of STEM to the Scottish economy was fully acknowledged and there was a promise of continued funding to support CPD and enhance science, maths and numeracy skills.

Lasting impressions were a range of educational professionals who shared their experiences of developing STEM resources for the SQA Higher and Advanced Higher STEM subjects;

the creativeness of the team at Edinburgh International Science Festival and breadth of audiences supported through their activities. The depth of research undertaken to understand the benefi ts of interdisciplinary learning and aspirations of embedding it as a culture were also discussed, something we’d like our partners to continue to support moving forward. Following the event, a number of IBioIC STEM Ambassadors have been warmly received by a number of primary schools across Scotland and we are delighted to have fostered new networks with local authorities and careers advisors interested in the new HND in Industrial Biotechnology.

Pupil Engagement at Al Qalam Academy - Glasgow, March 2016Following on from STEM Scotland 2016 we were delighted to accept an invitation from curriculum staff at Al Qalam Primary School to speak to the composite P5/P6 class about Biotechnology. Al Qalam is truly unique as it is the only independent school in Scotland that enhances and delivers the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (eCfE) with Islamic Education. Greeted with a warm welcome by staff and pupils alike, we were immersed in a sea of eager hands and vibrant faces, keen to share both their ambitions for the future and ideas on specifi c career paths. Aspirations ranged from Mad Scientist (or researcher as we tend to call it), Forensic Scientist, Pharmacist, Engineer and Doctor, through to Game Designers and legal professionals.


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The term ‘Radiography’ was new to many pupils and the notion that you could, and at times may need to; take images of the human brain, surprised a few. But such serious discussions were interspersed by laughter as we chatted about gaming and careers that were more familiar. We used simple laminated posters to spark discussion and discussed ‘secret recipes’ in research and food formulation and the importance of protecting your ideas / intellectual property.

We also considered Glasgow City Council’s recycling strategy with the students. Through a lively debate it was decided that no one really wished to live near a landfi ll site and as such, they wanted to consider approaches to waste management; there was event a brief mention of the circular economy. Posed with the question of “what could you make from carrots?” pupils came up with suggestions of clothes, antioxidant pills and a new popular ice cream made from a secret recipe. We’re excited to follow up with the bright pupils at Al Qalam with a visit from our STEM Ambassadors and hope to see some of the students considering STEM and IB-related subjects in the near future.

IBioIC Skills for Industry Day 2016(SFID) - Glasgow, May 2016The challenge was to keep our annual event relevant and fresh for a diverse delegate population who are actively recruited from schools, college, universities and industry. The other challenge came from the level of knowledge on what we do; some were complete novices to the IBioIC SFID events while others were participating for the third time. Presentations were delivered by Ronnie Palin, Skills Development Scotland, and the Science

Council’s Kelly Vere on employment pathways and the benefi ts of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) respectively. These were complemented by an overview of our new HND in IB. Full details of the speaker presentations are available now on the IBioIC website.

Our morning sessions provided an excellent introduction to the workshops and were well received, particularly contributions from Ingenza which provided an illuminating insight into the benefi ts and challenges of supporting and completing a Modern Apprenticeship within a Scottish Biotechnology SME.

The three following workshop sessions were designed to be interactive and engineered to be cross-sector to encourage sharing of a wide range of views on the key topics. They covered the design of placements within the new HND in Industrial Biotechnology, the CPD needs of our members and associate members and approaches to IBioIC STEM activities. This also included a demonstration from Bento Lab - the fi rst complete DNA laboratory, suitable for anyone from beginner to professional, which fi ts into any laptop-sized bag.

There was lively discussion at many of the workshop sessions, the key points covered included a consensus that STEM (particularly chemistry) CPD was important; the benefi ts of work placements in terms of developing transferrable skills and providing a context to the curriculum and interestingly, importance of educating parents as well as upskilling teachers about STEM related career opportunities. Our facilitators captured a wide range of ideas and opinions much of which will be distilled into the IBioIC Skills strategy for 2016/17.

HND in IB, fi rst intake – August 2016We’re pleased to say applications for August 2016 are open now for our HND in Industrial Biotechnology! This new HND will be delivered at both Forth Valley College and Glasgow Kelvin College and includes the study of biology, chemistry and process engineering in an industrial biotechnology context. It covers a broad spectrum of subjects to equip learners with an understanding of skills and subjects needed for the industrial biotechnology job market. Year 1 covers Laboratory Skills; Microbiology; Chemical Engineering Principles; Chemistry and Biotechnology: with Year 2 focusing on Animal and Plant cell culture; Immunology; Animal Biology; Organic Chemistry Process operations and a graded project.

Students can progress to 2nd or 3rd Year entry to relevant university degree courses or employment in industry. As a result of the course, students will be particularly prepared for employment as a Science Laboratory Technician, Research Scientist, Process Operator or Production Scientist.

If you would like to get involved withour skills programme or fi nd out moreplease get in touch with our Skills Manager, Susanne Boyle [email protected].

OUR STEM AMBASSADORS MAKE A BIG BANGFrom rocket cars to food as fuel, participation of the IBioIC Skills team in a series of further education, college-led events in June provided an ideal platform to raise awareness of IB and the myriad of STEM career paths available. The Ayrshire College and Forth Valley College Big Bang events were organised as part of the BLOODHOUND project, attracting pupils and teachers from more than 20 secondary schools.

The BLOODHOUND Project is a global Engineering Adventure focused around a 1000mph world land speed record attempt. Demonstrated through a rocket car competition, the event highlighted the impact of engineering and aerodynamic design on performance. One of the project’s objectives includes inspiring the next generation to enjoy, explore and get involved in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM).

This perfectly aligns with the objectives of our STEM Ambassadors – our PhD students who visit schools and colleges, demonstrating IB in action to children, parents and teachers. As a part of Big Bang, two IBioIC STEM Ambassadors supported pupil involvement during the showcase exhibits of DNA extraction from fruit (see photo). Participation in these events enables our STEM Ambassadors to enhance their communication skills whilst raising awareness of the expanse of IB in everyday life.

The ‘Inspiring the Future of Food’ event was co-hosted by the Scottish Food and Drink Federation, College Development Network and Fife College. It was designed to raise awareness of the food and drink production supply chain in Scotland; its scale, reach, the career opportunities it presents and the skills welcomed by employers. We participated in a showcase

event with the James Hutton Institute which included simulations of alginate action in antacids with a demonstration of raft formation over acid contents and dispersion of hydrocolloid particles. This inspired a discussion of wider applications of hydrocolloids. Our presentation highlighted the increasing role of IB within the food and drink sector and the various career paths available with this route.

These events attracted a wide range of school pupils and teachers and there was real excitement around the showcase events, highlighting the real appetite for IB in schools and colleges as well as creating many opportunities for further collaboration within the food and drink sector.

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www.IBioIC.com @IBioICLed by Industry for Industry

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ENGAGING WORLD-LEADING ACADEMICS AND INDUSTRIAL EXPERTS

An analysis conducted by three leading market research companies suggests that the global synthetic biology market was worth between $1.9 and $3 billion in 2013, with expected growth rates of between 24% and 44% by the end of the decade. Given these statistics it is no wonder that synthetic biology is growing in Scotland.

Scottish organisations are active in major UK initiatives such as SynbiCITE- the UK’s collaborative Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) dedicated to promoting the

adoption and use of synthetic biology by industry; and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) – the UK’s innovation network which has its biosciences and biotechnology team located in Edinburgh.

Scotland is rich in synthetic biology academic talent, with the pool spanning across the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, St Andrews and Heriot-Watt.

Synthetic biology tools being developed by these institutions span a wide range of organisms such as bacteria, yeast, fungi, plants and animals, which could be translated into supporting human health, crop and livestock development.

These are all brought together under the IBioIC umbrella, which provides a focal point to connect academic expertise with industrial capabilities and move the market forward.


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Scotland’s synthetic biology industry is diverse and growing with a number of companies providing synthetic biology services to a growing list of international clients already. There are three main players, all IBioIC members, which work to deliver research, technology, development and innovation in the market:

Ingenza Ltd. with over 25 years’ experience, Ingenza uses synthetic biology for the manufacturing of industrial products including enhanced biofuels, sustainable manufacturing of chemicals and the production of protein therapeutics.

Synpromics, founded in 2010, is the leading developer of synthetic promoters which reduce gene screening time from years to months, enabling faster industrial processes.

Biotangents, who design and build biological pathways to enable the sustainable and stable production of desirable natural materials. Through advanced metabolic modelling, DNA assembly and screening approaches Biotangents fi nd the optimum solutions to the challenges of biological pathway engineering.

St Andrews

Aberdeen

Dundee

Glasgow EdinburghGlasgow

1: Industrial Biotech Innovation CentreRapid Bioprocess Prototyping Centre

2: University of StrathclydeApplied ‘omics capabilities & fermentation

3: University of GlasgowGlasgow Polyomics

4: Thermo Fisher Scientifi cDevelopment of tools for omics technologies

5: SynpromicsSynthetic promoters to enhancegene expression for health & medicine,and plant biotech

6: BiotangentsCombinatorial genetics formetabolic engineering

7: University of AberdeenSystems Biology Integrative Centre for Genome Enabled Biology and Medicine

Proteomics Facility

8: James Hutton InstituteCrop & environment research

9: University of EdinburghUK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology

Genome Foundry

Edinburgh Genomics

Systems Biology Software Infrastructure

Kinetic Parameter Facility

Photobiology & Low Light Imaging Facility

Microfl uidic Imaging Facility

10: Roslin & Moredun InstituteAnimal biotech & husbandry

11: IngenzaCombinatorial genetics for biotechapplications in chemicals, medicine,health, biofuels and agrochemicals

Other research groups at 12: University of Dundee13: University of St Andrews14: Heriot-Watt University

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514 9

12 8

13

87

1

234

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Many successful collaborations between the synthetic biology industry and academia in Scotland already exist.With this in mind, IBioIC is excited to profi le Scotland’s capabilities on the international market by launching the ‘IBioIC Synthetic Biology Accelerator’ at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in April. IBioIC is offeringup to £1million ($1.5million) for UK and international collaborative industry-led synthetic biology research projects, using the world leading research talents within Scottish universities.

As a strategic area of importance for IBioIC, this competition seeks projects which can meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrable clear market need/commercial opportunity that is met by the innovative use or application of synthetic biology

• The Project must be championed and led by an IBioIC Industrial Member (Leading or Core) and should include at least one of IBioIC’s HEI Partners. The Project may consist of any number of Industrial Members and HEI Partners

• The Project will preferably demonstrate that it can be completed to its key commercial milestones within 24 months of its start date

• The Project must demonstrate an economic, societal or reputational benefi t to Scotland, either through benefi t to industry or through providing an IP based advantage to Scotland.

Potential international partners are invited to benefi t from the infrastructure and connectivity between academia and industry culture in Scotland. Successful organisations will also become members of IBioIC and benefi t from access to its vibrant community through networking activities and brokerage events. As a member of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), IBioIC is instrumental in making its members further visible on the European landscape; membership to the centre means being part of an authoritative pool of cross sector and multi-disciplinary expertise in the fi eld of bio-based industries.

By funding projects in synthetic biology, innovation will also be accelerated in other sectors. Scotland has a vibrant life-sciences community, engaged in drug discovery, developing new drug delivery systems, diagnostics and research tools, all of which can benefi t from advances in synthetic biology. Other sectors that will see benefi ts from synthetic biology developments, such as: chemical manufacturing, including agrochemicals and petrochemicals; energy; agriculture, food and drink; environment, water and waste management are all represented within Scotland.

Potential partners with projects with a total value of up to £500,000 are invited to submit an application.

In summary:

Total call size: £1millionExpected project size: up to £500kLevel of intervention up to 50% or £200kCall closes: Wednesday 31 August 2016

If you are considering applying forthe call and would like to discussyour project further, please contact Project Manager, Johann Partridge:[email protected]


Potential partners with projects with a total value of up to£500,000 are invited to submit an application by 5pm onWednesday 31 August 2016.

For more information on how to enter visit: ibioic.com/IB_Accelerator_Programme.htm.


THE LIGHTER SIDE OF IB

Join us for a coffee breakas we bring you a fun IB-themed puzzle.

1. Unscramble each of the clue words and fi ll in the cells

2. Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number

3. The numbered cells spell out the answer

Our core member CelluComp make Curran® from vegetables such as beets. Curran® is added to lots of things to make them stronger and last longer, such as paint!

Can you help CelluComp by drawing the path for the beet into the paint bucket below?

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ANSWER: The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre

NOLASTCD

RHCERASE

OLTIP LSCEA

COTBOLLOINAAR

CEJROPT

LSSIKL

YBNOSI

BUFOLIE

GASBIO

MISMORIATIAOLNECC

NOOTIIVANNNETCER

www.ibioic.com @IBioIC

Industrial Biotechnology Innovation CentreInovo, 121 George Street, Glasgow G1 1RDUnited Kingdom

[email protected]

Copyright © 2015 IBioIC. All rights reserved.This email is sent to all of our IBioIC partners and members.

If you would like to submit an IBioIC related story to our next newsletter, please contact [email protected]

2016_Aug_IBIOIC_Newsletter_Issue_05

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