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Over the last two days (16 – 17 June), leaders from industry, research establishments, regulators and government have gathered at NPL for a symposium on engineering and generative biology.
Engineering and generative biology are not single disciplines or areas of research. As an approach to manufacturing new and innovative solutions, it depends on bringing together engineering principles in combination with the understanding, characterisation and exploitation of biological systems to produce products and solutions through new ways.
Advancements in this area depend on collaborations between world-leading scientists, innovative companies and bio-foundries. The event is facilitating discussions on scientific breakthroughs, commercialisation and standards, while fostering new partnerships and collaborations.
Throughout the event, experts have been discussing the growing impact of generative biology, from first principles to products, with an emphasis on how metrology and standards can accelerate innovation.
The conclusions of these discussions will be published in the coming months.
Mike Ageogun, Head of National Challenge, said: “Over the past two days, we’ve been delighted to host this scientific meeting showcasing an impressive breadth of work, spanning first principles in synthetic genomics through to real-world products, highlighting the remarkable pace at which engineering biology is advancing.”
Max Ryadnov, NPL Fellow and biometrology and engineering biology research lead, commented: “The diversity of perspectives at the meeting, from cutting-edge research and high-throughput technologies to responsible innovation, regulation, and commercial scale-up, demonstrates the strength of collaboration across academia, industry and government. We have explored not only the science that is transforming what is possible, but also the innovation ecosystems and partnerships that are translating ideas into impactful solutions. It has been particularly encouraging to see the strong emphasis on commercialisation and application, ensuring that these breakthroughs deliver tangible benefits to society.”
Find out more about our work in biometrology
17 Jun 2026