What could the future bioeconomy look like? And how can engineering biology fit into strategies to transition to sustainable industrial ecosystems that better meet society’s changing needs?

These questions are addressed in a recent paper written by Philip Shapira and co-authors from the University’s Manchester Institute of (MIOIR) . They focus on new approaches enabled by engineering biology – which combines biology, engineering, and information technology to develop novel methods of producing biobased materials and products.

The MIOIR is a recognised international centre of excellence for the study of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy and management. The Institute informs science and innovation policy by engaging with key policymakers, in the UK, Europe and further afield.

Engineering biology can help to accomplish the technical side of sustainable transition, the paper argues, but it requires concerted action by policymakers, researchers, businesses, and communities to achieve its societal and environmental potential. Societal engagement is needed to inform engineering biology designs and applications, while sustainability needs to be explicitly considered and should not be assumed just because products are biobased.

Enacting this vision for engineering biology will also require a change in the field itself, so that practitioners come to see their role as more than simply engineering microbes, and instead embrace a larger mission of integrating diverse disciplines and knowledge sources while nurturing local capacity.

Without deep social engagement, the field risks repeating the mistakes of the past and reinforcing currently inadequate economic and ecological systems. Reimagined in this way, engineering biology could play a critical role in realizing not just a vibrant bioeconomy, but a sustainable, resilient, and equitable one as well.