Engineering Biology Metrics and Technical Standards for the Global Bioeconomy

Publication Date: May 2024

Coordinated by Imperial College London, the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National University of Singapore (NUS), with support from Schmidt Sciences, this report is a response to the field’s need for standards and metrics and the lack of clarity on which standards to prioritize—from how to catalog organisms used in bioproduction to help make technology transfer more predictable and accurate to making sure data is formatted the same way to enable easier sharing. Representatives from the four partner organizations joined regional stakeholders from the Americas, Europe, and Asia to identify 10 key focus areas. These range from technical areas such as data standards, common definitions, and metrics to quantify and scale up biological processes, to non-technical areas vital for the growth of the bioeconomy, including public engagement and regulatory clarity to aid the safe and efficient commercialization of new products.