Four UK Research Councils have come together to announce funding for new projects designed to rapidly build the UK's expertise and capacity in the emerging field of synthetic biology. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have awarded funding to seven new 'networks' in synthetic biology to allow UK researchers to build links across institutions and discipline boundaries to form a true synthetic biology community. The networks, which formally involve eight universities, will have a strong social and ethical dimension and, where relevant to the projects, also have funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Synthetic biology is the engineering of biology: the synthesis of complex, biologically based, or inspired, systems which display functions that do not exist in nature. The new projects announced by the Research Councils aim to increase capability so that the UK is at the forefront of this research and a significant part of this will entail bringing bioscientists, engineers, computer scientists and others together.

The total investment by the Research Councils is almost £900,000; the networks will use this funding to build multidisciplinary links between different labs and develop the tools and language required for synthetic biology research, enabling the UK to punch its weight internationally in this field.

Professor Nigel Brown, BBSRC Director of Science and Technology, speaking on behalf of all four funding Research Councils, said: "The four Research Councils working together in this initiative shows that the future of Synthetic Biology in the UK relies not only on bringing together biologists and engineers but also on ensuring that the societal issues are considered from the start."

Read more at: the BBSRC website.

The Networks in Synthetic Biology Initiative has awarded a total of £890,991 to eight institutions in seven networks. BBSRC and EPSRC have funded £390,000 each. ESRC has contributed £76,000 and AHRC has contributed £35,000.

The definition of synthetic biology used here is taken from the EU New and Emerging Science and Technology (NEST) programme report 'Synthetic Biology - Applying Engineering to Biology', published in 2005.

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Media Contact: Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager, j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk. Tel: 0797 099 4586

Editors Notes

Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £100 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,000 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute nearly a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.