A National Synthetic Biology-Enabled Sustainable Bio-Manufacturing And Bio-Technology Ecosystem In Canada
Engineering (synthetic) biology is the rational design and construction of new biological molecules, circuits, pathways and cells/organisms, and the re-design of existing biological systems to create fundamentally distinctive bio-solutions for the Canadian industrial biotechnology, agriculture and agri-food and health and biosciences sectors. Synthetic biology tools and technologies are disrupting global markets, and synthetic biology companies have raised more than $1.8B of Venture Funding in 2018. Now is the time for Canada to leverage its tremendous advantage and capacity to collaborate across biology, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, computer sciences and artificial intelligence to participate in the 4th industrial revolution and the $100B global bio-economy market.
Meeting the growing demand for environmentally sound and sustainable products and manufacturing processes while remaining globally competitive is a common challenge facing many Canadian industries. Ontario Genomics together with the Genome Canada Enterprise is proposing to establish a National Synthetic Biology-Enabled, Sustainable Bio-Manufacturing and Bio-Technology Ecosystem in Canada, through the Strategic Innovation Fund National Ecosystems Stream 5 (SIF 5) program. The proposed ecosystem will leverage and connect existing and new regional and sector specific resources, multinationals, established SMEs, innovative start-ups and academic expertise to establish Canada as a global leader in novel, industrial scale advanced bio-manufacturing technologies and biotechnologies that will benefit numerous end users.
The proposal will focus on three sectors, namely industrial biotechnology, agriculture and agri-food, and health and biosciences, selected for, 1) industry/market pull; 2) existing pan-Canadian initiatives spanning research to commercialization TRL levels, 3) urgent requirement and imminent opportunities for sustainable alternatives to traditional manufacturing technologies, 4) economic and societal importance to Canada and Canadians.
Fundamental elements required to establish Canada as a leader through the National Synthetic Biology-Enabled, Sustainable Bio-Manufacturing and Bio-Technology Ecosystem are:
- Strengthening the Canadian Advantage – a Technology Adoption Network will link regional engineering biology technology facilities and foundries to form hubs of excellence. This Network will be essential for standardization and streamlining access to expertise, tools, technologies, resources and services that exists in Canada, and will identify gaps early on that need to be filled.
- Driving innovation – Informed by industry needs, academia and private sector will have access to a suite of nimble and flexible grant programs and to existing incubators and accelerators and/or companies. This includes a unique opportunity for competitive Canadian start-ups to access the IndieBio and RebelBio accelerator programs and return to Canada via a dedicated landing pad. Negotiated terms with ecosystem partners will ensure priority pricing; ecosystem partners will be granted preferential access to the Technology Adoption Network.
- Translation to Commercialization and Company Growth – collaborations between established companies (SMEs and large corporations) and academics and start-ups will enable industrial scale-up of bio-processes for demonstrated utility. Commercialization and market entry are anticipated for individual projects.
- Regulation and Outreach – upfront recognition and work relating to social license and regulatory challenges will ensure a smooth transition to new, synthetic biology-enabled technologies. Of equal importance is public outreach to educate and encourage acceptance of synthetic biology-derived products.
A SIF Stream 5 funding request of $50M will be leveraged to at least $100M+, with co-funding provided by ecosystem partners, provincial governments and non-Canadian funders.
This proposal will result in a world leading, Canada-wide, collaborative and dynamic engineering biology ecosystem, growing the Canadian knowledge-based economy and creating high-quality jobs and training opportunities. The continuous ecosystem pipeline from ideas to market entry will ensure that Canadian biotechnology companies and manufacturers are competitive in the global market.
To register interest in this initiative, please complete this short survey, or contact Jordan Thomson, Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships and Programs, Ontario Genomics, or Britney Hess, Manager, Investment and Venture Development, Ontario Genomics
Ontario Genomics
Ontario Genomics has been spearheading the synthetic biology strategy for Canada including the organization of two national SynBio Conferences and Workshops in 2018 and 2019, and chairs the national Canada SynBio Steering Committee. Ontario Genomics has extensive expertise in connecting ideas, researchers, industry and other partners to enable translation, commercialization and implementation of genomics solutions in support of Ontario’s knowledge-based economy, and in the development, management and administration of large, industry-led collaborative cross-sector projects that allow all partners to leverage their funding and accelerate product development and commercialization.