University researchers awarded £2 million in global bioeconomy initiative

15 Oct 2024

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology team joins interdisciplinary centre bringing "real-world solutions, from improved recycling to new bioplastics, to build a sustainable circular economy."

The BBSRC has awarded Manchester Institute of Biotechnology researchers £2 million as part of the Global Centre Bioeconomy grant, an $82 million initiative led by the National Science Foundation in the US.

The Centre for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy (CIRCLE) UK team will be led by Dr Neil Dixon, Reader is Sustainable Biotechnology, alongside a team of international academics. Also part of the project are Professors Aline Miller and David Leys, and Drs Rosa Cuellar-Franca, James Winterburn and Micaela Chacon.

CIRCLE aims to address the global challenge of anthropogenic waste by closing the loop and using it as a feedstock for the chemicals industry. Much of the waste produced by society is a rich source of carbon, a building block for many important chemicals and materials found in everyday products such as plastics, personal care products, and pharmaceuticals. CIRCLE will identify and employ novel biotechnological processes to break down this waste into its chemical components and avoid the need for virgin petrochemical feedstocks.

This project will bring together academic expertise from across the globe, including the US, Canada and South Korea.

The 2024 Global Centres awards focus on advancing bioeconomy research to solve global challenges, whether by increasing crop resilience, converting plant matter or other biomass into fuel, or paving the way for biofoundries to scale-up applications of biotechnology for societal benefit.  The programme supports holistic, multidisciplinary projects that bring together international teams and scientific disciplines, including education and social sciences, necessary to achieve use-inspired outcomes. All Global Centres will integrate public engagement and workforce development, paying close attention to impacts on communities.

“Alongside replacing fossil fuels, there is an urgent need to replace petrochemical industrial feedstocks across a wide range of sectors,” said UKRI CEO, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser.

“This is a global challenge that requires global solutions and UKRI is delighted to be partnering in the NSF Global Centres 2024 programme to meet this need.

“The announcement today will be at the forefront of real-world solutions, from improved recycling to new bioplastics, building a sustainable circular economy. The centres will create the global networks and skills needed to drive a thriving bioeconomy benefitting all.”

Biotechnology is enabling us to find new and more sustainable ways to produce chemicals, materials, and everyday products, by understanding and harnessing nature’s own processes and applying them at industrial scales. Find out more at our biotechnology research page.