Roadmapping News
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May 7, 2024
New Publication: Engineering Biology Metrics and Technical Standards for the Global Bioeconomy
A new report responding to engineering biology’s need for clear standards and metrics to enable the rapid development of a sustainable bioeconomy.
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February 18, 2024
New Publication: Addressing the Climate Crisis Through Engineering Biology
A companion piece to EBRC’s 2022 roadmap, Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability. Published in npj Climate Action.
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September 27, 2022
Just released: Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability: A Research Roadmap for a Cleaner Future
The Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) is happy to have released our newest technical research roadmap, Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability: A Research Roadmap for a Cleaner Future. The roadmap is available as an interactive website and PDF available at https://roadmap.ebrc.org.
This publication highlights innovative solutions and opportunities in engineering biology to support global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, enable sustainable products and solutions, and grow the circular bioeconomy. The technical roadmap addresses the current state of biotechnology for climate change mitigation and adaptation and ecosystem resilience, and lays out goals and short-, medium-, and long-term milestones for the development of engineering biology tools and technologies for a sustainable future.
Supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, the roadmap was written collaboratively by more than 90 contributors across 56 academic institutions, biotechnology companies, government laboratories, and other organizations. The depth and breadth of this expertise is reflected in the diverse landscape of technologies, processes, and products presented in the roadmap for leveraging engineering biology to address our imminent climate crisis while advancing the bioeconomy. As the U.S. seeks to establish and maintain leadership in the global bioeconomy through the Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation, and through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, this roadmap provides a vision of how that dedication and leadership can ultimately benefit all Americans and our global community.
The technical roadmap focuses on novel, foundational engineering biology capabilities for the:
- Biosequestration of Greenhouse Gases
- Mitigation of Environmental Pollution
- Conservation of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
And engineering biology for climate-friendly, sustainable products and solutions for:
- Food & Agriculture
- Transportation & Energy
- Materials Production & Industrial Processes
The roadmap features case studies that explore the social and nontechnical dimensions associated with some of the roadmap’s potential climate solutions. These case studies were selected to support and encourage the incorporation of ethical, economic, political, and security considerations into the design and pursuit of technical research. The questions and considerations illuminated by these case studies highlight the need for technical and nontechnical stakeholders to work together to secure a sustainable future. The roadmap also contains a contextual glossary of terms and concepts.
View Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability here!
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Assess your Success – Contribute to EBRC’s Assessment of Engineering Biology!
We need your input! EBRC is undertaking an assessment of our 2019 technical research roadmap, Engineering Biology. Vital to this process is input from EBRC members, affiliates, and stakeholders and the broader engineering biology community.
Assess progress towards the research milestones by completing a SURVEY and join us for an upcoming WORKSHOP to discuss and report on progress and remaining barriers.
Student or Postdoc? Click here for information about the hackathon!
Assessment Surveys
Please help us assess the roadmap by filling out the surveys linked below related to your research interests. Each survey will guide you through an evaluation of the Engineering Biology milestones and allow you to provide evidence (cite yourself!) associated with progress or barriers. Surveys may be saved and returned to prior to submission.
- Gene Editing, Synthesis, and Assembly
- Biomolecule, Pathway, and Circuit Engineering
- Host and Consortia Engineering
- Data Integration, Modeling, and Automation
The information from this assessment will be invaluable to many different audiences: EBRC members, students, and postdocs to assess the utility of our roadmaps; for stakeholders, funders, and policymakers to understand the progress and continued challenges we face; and for the EBRC Roadmapping Working Group, so that we can create more accurate and effective roadmaps in the future.
The product of this assessment will include:
1) Summaries of milestone progress; commentary on technical and non-technical barriers to progress; and description of ethical, legal, social, or environmental considerations impacting milestone progression and opportunities for collaboration with social scientists; and
2) Case studies spotlighting examples of how technical progress is shaping, or is being shaped by, the Application and Impact Sectors (Energy, Health and Medicine, Industrial Biotechnology, Environmental Biotechnology, Food & Agriculture) outlined in Engineering Biology.
Please click the survey links above to begin your contribution. Surveys will close May 28, so fill yours out now! We are looking for responses from all members of the community, including graduate students, postdocs, PIs, industry scientists and leadership, government researchers, and additional stakeholders, to provide their candid assessments of the field.
If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please email Albert Hinman (awh@ebrc.org).
Assessment Workshops
Please join us for workshops to discuss and summarize research progress and barriers in each of Engineering Biology’s four technical themes. Informed by our survey(s), these summaries will detail how technical theme research milestones have progressed since 2019, discuss technical and nontechnical barriers to Goal progression, and address ethical, legal, social, or environmental considerations associated with the Goals.
Please use the links below to learn more and register for a workshop of interest:
- Gene Editing, Synthesis, and Assembly | Thursday, June 3; 2:00PM – 5:00PM Eastern / 11:00AM – 2:00PM Pacific
- Biomolecule, Pathway, and Circuit Engineering | Tuesday, June 8; 11:00AM – 2:00PM Eastern / 8:00AM – 11:00AM Pacific
- Host and Consortia Engineering | Thursday, June 10; 11:00AM – 2:00PM Eastern / 8:00AM – 11:00AM Pacific
- Data Integration, Modeling, and Automation | Friday, June 11; 12:00PM – 3:00PM Eastern / 9:00AM – 12:00PM Pacific
For more information about the workshops please email Albert Hinman (awh@ebrc.org).
Student and Postdoc Hackathon
Register for the Assessment of Engineering Biology Student and Postdoc Hackathon: Friday, May 28; 1-3pm EST / 10am-12pm PST! The technical expertise of graduate students and postdocs are critically needed for our Assessment of Engineering Biology survey(s).
This virtual Hackathon event (2 hours) will divide participants into four themed breakout rooms (Engineering DNA, Biomolecular Engineering, Host and Consortia Engineering, and Data Science) for each participant to complete an individual survey. Participants will:
- Be introduced to the Assessment project about why this project is important, recommended advice on filling out the survey, and how they can contribute to EBRC Roadmaps;
- Complete a survey with fellow graduate students and postdocs in an inclusive and cooperative setting;
- Discuss and state any interesting technical and nontechnical barriers; ethical, legal, social, or environmental aspects associated with the technical research roadmap goals.
Please register for this event no later than May 26th. Whether you are a first year graduate student or a fifth year postdoc, we greatly need your participation. All EBRC SPA members or graduate students/postdocs in EBRC-member affiliated labs are welcome! All participants will receive contributorship (authorship) credit in Assessment publications and SPA members will be entered into a raffle for free EBRC swag. If you cannot attend this event, please still fill out a survey! These results are going to shape the narrative of how EBRC advocates with policymakers and science funders about the needs of our research field, and we greatly need your voice present. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, email awh@ebrc.org.