Dr Neil Dixon, UMRI pump priming award

Dr Neil Dixon, Reader in Sustainable Biotechnology in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, led an interdisciplinary team that secured an UMRI pump-priming award to explore the challenges and barriers to implementing sustainable biomanufacturing at a regional level.

Bringing together colleagues with expertise in engineering biology, sustainability, outreach and engagement, engineering, and responsible research, the cross-Faculty project sought to build partnerships with industry to explore potential pathways to technology adoption and greater sustainability. The development of a database of regional companies, encompassing future, current and traditional biomanufacturing was key to the project’s success. The team led a series of foresight workshops which engaged stakeholders from a range of sectors identified through this process, including consumer goods, biopharmaceuticals, biosurfactants manufacturers, specialty chemicals, biorefinery, anaerobic digestion and biogas, climate change research, independent breweries, and trade associations.

These dialogic events led to three thought leadership articles on skills, training and diversity, future feedstocks and people, capabilities and infrastructure and helped the team to articulate their shared priorities and shape future collaborations.  This culminated in a regional biomanufacturing policy article published by Policy@Manchester which has led to engagement with the  UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The project also served as a stepping stone to a BBSRC Global Centre grant - the Centre for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy (CIRCLE). CIRCLE is part of an $82 million initiative led by the National Science Foundation in the USA. Neil will lead the UK team working with international partners in the US, Canada and South Korea to address the global challenge of carbon-rich anthropogenic waste by closing the loop and using it as a feedstock for the chemicals industry.

“The UMRI award provided an opportunity to bring colleagues from different discipline areas to engage with industry in the region and showcase our expertise. And I’m delighted to report that it helped the team secure the BBSRC Global Centre award,” Neil explained.