Strathclyde fuels industrial biotech proposal

Proposals for a Scotland-based industrial biotech initiative co-led by University of Strathclyde have secured £500,000 ($660,000) in preparative capital from government-owned funding agency UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), according to Glasgow City of Science & Innovation.
The initiative is one of 24 projects shortlisted by the UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund, a competitive award program aimed at fueling regional growth through place-orientated research and innovation initiatives.
UKRI’s initial $660,000 commitment will be used to prepare a formal bid for investment in late 2019, with four-to-eight of the shortlisted projects expected to receive between $13.3m and $66.2m from the fund for implementation.
The Strathclyde-backed proposal aims to stimulate the reduction of petrochemical-based fuels used by the Grangemouth manufacturing plant in central Scotland, in favour of sustainable biofuels.
If its bid is successful, the scheme would accelerate biologics-based products for industries ranging from health to agriculture and the marine sector; through measures including upgrades to the bioprocessing facilities Scottish government-backed research hub Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) and the creation of a new incubator hub called the Centre of Excellence for Engineering Biology.
University of Strathclyde is co-leading the plans with IBioIC, with participation from the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as Heriot-Watt University, James Hutton Institute and Forth Valley College.
The scheme’s industry partners include synthetic biology services provider Ingenza, pharmaceutical developer GlaxoSmithKline, sustainable materials producer CelluComp and biofuel supplier Celtic Renewables.
Chemicals producer Ineos, which operates the Grangemouth plant, would also join the initiative together with its peer Calachem, Strathclyde-founded protein farming technology company 3FBio and port operator Forth Ports.
The Scottish government will support the proposals through agencies including its Scottish Enterprise economic development arm, as well as Scottish Development International, Scottish Futures Trust and Scottish Funding Council.
Julia Brown, senior director of the high-value manufacturing and health team at Scottish Enterprise, said: “This bid supports innovation in the transition of Scotland’s national asset Grangemouth from manufacturing based on petrochemical resources to sustainable biobased high-value manufacturing enabled by the bioeconomy.
“This will reduce the populations reliance on finite fossil resources towards a future of sustainable manufacturing.”