Synthetic biology, an emerging technology area for Sweden

We can see that Sweden is far behind several other countries, which have invested heavily in this area for years. The USA is the world leader and in Europe Denmark and the UK are prominent.

Synthetic biology, like AI, is also an emerging technology area where technological development is advancing at a breakneck pace, but where legislation on how the new technology should be regulated has not developed as quickly. The technology could have an impact in several areas, for example through the development of biodegradable materials that can replace plastics, medicines and vaccines that are produced faster and more cost-effectively, and sustainable foods such as lab-grown meat and dairy products. There is also potential to create solutions for cleaning up polluted areas or storing carbon dioxide.

This was discussed at an OECD workshop on October 21–22, in which Vinnova participated. The focus was on the convergence between AI and synthetic biology, with government representatives and companies such as Googles Deepmind and Asimov participating in the conversation.

Vinnova participated in a panel discussion at Innovation Plaza during the iGEM jamboree, The World Expo of Synthetic Biology, Paris. iGEM is a very exciting competition and community, the event was started over 20 years ago at MIT. This year, 4,500 participants participated with teams from all over the world, presenting project with potential to solve major societal challenges through synthetic biology.

Read the report Synthetic Biology, an Emerging Technology Area for Sweden

Watch the film Technology Shaping the Future - Synthetic Biology

Synthetic biology gives us the ability to tame, reprogram, and control the power of nature. It means designing living organisms to produce or consume (almost) anything.