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Industrial

The impact of industrial processes on global warming has placed biotechnology in the forefront of coming
up with cleaner and sustainable solutions that will produce less waste, and use less energy and water.
The Economist magazine has already suggested that industrial biotechnology has the potential to enable economies to become less dependent on fossil fuel1. Industrial Biotechnology is the application of biotechnology (whole cells or components of cells – e.g. enzymes) in industrial processes: manufacturing, alternative energy and biomaterial to generate commercial products or services. Industrial biotechnology is
a very dynamic field that brings together the fields of science and technology and engineering; and is expected to give rise to a number of benefits cutting across agriculture and human health.

The aim of the industrial biotechnology portfolio is to make investments in projects and platforms that would make a positive impact in terms of:

• Cost effective and competitive bio-processing technologies.
• Development of enzymes and processes for industrial catalysis.
• Competitive bioremediation and acid mine drainage technologies.

The objectives of the Industrial Biotechnology Portfolio are:

• Identify and develop projects leading to the development of products and services in “green technologies”.
• Provide a platform and framework for scientific, legal and ethical support to facilitate the commercialization of research outcomes.
• Facilitate creation of 'spin-offs' (e.g. public private partnerships, networks of academic institutions and not-for profit foundations) on technologies ready for the market.

• – “Sea of Dreams: Genetically Modified Microbes will lead to a revolution in Industrial Biotechnology”. 2004. The Economist Vol. 371, Issue 8373.