2009-2011 RESEARCH WITH INDUSTRY STRATEGY
Introduction
BBSRC supports a broad research base in microbial, plant and animal sciences,
ranging from studies at the molecular to whole organism and population level. The
remit also embraces engineering and technological approaches necessary to
develop new procedures to investigate and analyse biological systems, as well as the
application of those approaches to derive commercial benefit from biological
understanding. The Age of Bioscience, BBSRC Strategic Plan for 2010-2015
identifies three strategic priorities: Food Security, Bioenergy and Industrial
Biotechnology, and Basic Bioscience Underpinning Health. Alongside these priorities,
it also outlines three enabling themes critical for our vision for UK bioscience:
Knowledge Exchange, Innovation and Skills, Exploiting New Ways of Working and
Partnerships.
The focus of this Research with Industry Strategy is to identify and describe research
areas within BBSRC’s Strategic priorities and enabling themes, where investments
can make a significant impact in underpinning the research needs of industry in the
coming decade. BBSRC wishes to encourage academic researchers and companies
to engage in collaborative research programmes in these priority areas.
BBSRC research underpins the needs of a wide range of industrial sectors.
However, five primary industrial sectors are substantial beneficiaries of BBSRCfunded research, although overlap and sub-sectors exist.
BBSRC User Industry Sectors
Agriculture
The UK agricultural industry includes diverse sub-sectors such as farming, agrochemical, plant and animal
breeding, and animal health. Overall agriculture has been declining in importance in GDP terms over the last
50 years when farm-gate sales totalled some £14 billion. In 2007, agriculture contributed £5.8 billion to the
UK economy and provided 1.7% of the UK’s workforce1.
Food and Drink
The food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, with a turnover of £72.7 billion in
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2007 . The UK was the 7th largest food and drink manufacturing industry in the world in 2007 and the
world's 9th largest exporter of food and drink in 20073, with total food and drink exports worth £11.5 billion4.
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UK food and drink exports grew to £13.6 billion in 2008 , a third consecutive year of record performance.
Research capacity is limited in this sector due to intense competition where, apart from a small number of
large companies, the sector is dominated by small companies operating on low margins.
Biotechnology
The UK biotechnology industry is widely recognised as one of the most advanced in the world. However,
growth in the sector has declined as the economic downturn has negatively impacted investment in UK
biotechnology companies. Medical biotechnology activity in other parts of the European Union has increased
over the past few years and, while the UK is still in the lead, the UK’s share of the total number of
biotherapies in clinical development in the EU has dropped from 46% in 2002 to 24% in 2007 and the
proportion of small companies (with a market capitalisation of less than £25m) within the UK biotech sector
has increased as a number of the larger companies have been acquired by pharmaceutical companies6.
Pharmaceuticals
The UK pharmaceutical industry is one of the UK’s most successful industries, accounting for £17.2 billion of
1
https://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/publications/auk/2007/default.asp
Office of National Statistics, Annual Business Inquiry
3
CIAA, 2008 Data & Trends Report
4
Food from Britain, 2008 Export Brief
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Leatherhead Food International, May 2009
6
http://www.bioindustry.org/biodocuments/BIGTR2/BIGT_Review_and_Refresh.pdf
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exports in 2008 and generating a trade surplus in pharmaceuticals of £6.0 billion. In 2007, the pharmaceutical
industry invested £4.5 billion in R&D in the UK, representing over a quarter of all UK Business R&D spend7.
In 2007, the UK received 25% of all pharmaceutical industry R&D spending in Europe and 20% of the world’s
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top-selling medicines in 2006 were discovered and developed in Britain .
Chemicals
The UK is the world’s seventh largest chemicals producer; UK sales alone in this industry exceed £60 billion,
with exports worth £43 billion. This is one of our most high-value manufacturing sectors, employing around
200,000 people with a trade surplus of around £6.5 billion. Global Industrial Biotechnology sales are currently
estimated at £35-53 billion, which represents 3-4% of the global chemical industry sales (£1.25 trillion in
2008). This market is estimated to grow to £150–360 billion by 2025 in the chemical sector alone. 9
The Research with Industry Strategy has been coordinated with other strategies and
initiatives within BBSRC, including:
• Technology Strategy: Technologies needed by research knowledge providers
• Sustainable Bioenergy Centre Initiative
• Responsive Mode Priorities
The Research with Industry Strategy is embedded in BBSRC’s overarching strategy
and its particular alignment with the BBSRC Strategic Plan is depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Alignment with BBSRC Strategic Plan
Alignment of Research with Industry Strategy Priorities (shown in green) with the BBSRC
Strategic Plan Priorities and Enabling Themes.
7
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/berd0109.pdf
http://www.abpi.org.uk/publications/pdfs/AnnualReview07.pdf
9
http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/sectors/chemicals/IBIGT/page44395.html
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The Research with Industry Strategy was developed in consultation with industry and
other stakeholders and is overseen by the BBSRC Bioscience for Industry Strategy
Panel. The Panel will initiate a review of the Strategy biennially to ensure the state of
the science and the research and skills needs of industry are updated. Recognising
multidisciplinary research is needed to ensure the applicability of research to
industry, many of the priority areas include challenges that require overlap with
research funders outside of BBSRC’s remit. Following the publication of the
Research with Industry Strategy, work plans will be developed for each priority area
in collaboration with other research funders (eg - other Research Councils, the
Wellcome Trust) and partners (eg – Regional Development Agencies) to ensure
joined-up and effective implementation.
Comments on the Strategy or the
forthcoming work plans can be submitted to business.unit@bbsrc.ac.uk.
A prime concern of the BBSRC industrial user community, particularly the
pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sectors, is that BBSRC continues to sustain a
high quality bioscience research base in universities and institutes, providing
opportunities for collaborations and contracts, licensing and consultancies, as well as
a source of highly trained people. While there are many potential areas where
increased research activity could underpin the needs of the BBSRC user industries.
Priorities in the Research with Industry Strategy have been identified based on an
analysis against the following criteria.
•
Industry Need
The priority area must be identified by industry as an opportunity for UKbased companies to derive benefit from BBSRC research investments in the
area.
•
Ability of the Science Base to Deliver
The UK science base must have the skills and capacity to deliver research
that can address the needs of industry and maintain the standards of quality
required for BBSRC funding.
The priorities that meet these criteria are identified in the Research with Industry
Strategy. For the period of 2009 – 2011, these priorities will guide the focus of
industrially-relevant programmes and initiatives in BBSRC to ensure high quality
science provides the highest potential impact.
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Overview
Basic Bioscience Underpinning Health
Driving advances in fundamental bioscience for better health and improved quality of
life across the lifecourse, reducing the need for medical and social intervention.
Identifying opportunities to improve the health span of an ageing population by
understanding the biological processes involved with ageing, along with the
contributions of diet and nutrition, are some of the key challenges facing the
biotechnology and pharmaceuticals sectors. In addition, these sectors will continue to
be under pressure to produce low-cost and accessible medicines for a global market.
The priorities for Biopharmaceuticals Design and Manufacture and Bioscience
for Lifelong Health will support these sectors in addressing complex challenges with
basic bioscience research.
Bioenergy and Industrial Biotechnology
Energy and industrial materials from novel biological sources, reducing dependency
on petrochemicals and helping the UK to become a low carbon economy.
The dwindling supplies and increasing expense of petroleum means the chemicals
sector is looking for new opportunities to develop bio-based products with equal or
improved functionalities, or for new products altogether. The priority for Biological
Systems for Green and Sustainable Chemicals has been identified to underpin
industry efforts to find biological solutions for chemical products and processes.
Food Security
Bioscience for a sustainable supply of sufficient, affordable, nutritious and safe food
adapting to a rapidly changing world.
The agriculture and food sectors face significant challenges in the years to come to
meet the needs posed by an increasing population alongside the effects of climate
change leading to reduced reliability of food supply. Two priorities have been
identified to underpin industry efforts to address these challenges: Crop Production
and Farm Animal Genomics for Health. In addition, elements of the Bioscience
for Lifelong Health priority will also address challenges around nutrition.
Exploiting New Ways of Working
Enabling innovative working practices in an era of rapid technological advancement,
the next generation internet, and quantitative and computational approaches to
bioscience.
All of the industrial sectors BBSRC collaborates with have been engaged in the hightech and increasingly complex digital environment. In order to meet the increasing
challenges of operating in this environment, while looking to new technology to
advance industry products and processes, three priorities have been identified to
stimulate research to address these challenges: Intelligent Storage, Retrieval, and
Analysis of Large Datasets, Exploiting Systems Biology and Instrumentation
and Measurement: Bioimaging.
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Table of Contents
Basic Bioscience Underpinning Health
Bioscience for Lifelong Health..................................................................................... 6
Biopharmaceuticals Design and Manufacture............................................................. 8
Bioenergy and Industrial Biotechnology
Biological Systems for Green and Sustainable Chemicals ....................................... 10
Food Security
Farm Animal Genomics for Health ............................................................................ 12
Crop Production ........................................................................................................ 13
Exploiting New Ways of Working
Intelligent Storage, Retrieval, and Analysis of Large Datasets ................................. 15
Exploiting Systems Biology ....................................................................................... 17
Instrumentation and Measurement: Bioimaging........................................................ 19
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Bioscience for Lifelong Health
This priority will focus on underpinning user needs in two key research areas of Diet
and Health and Healthy Ageing.
DIET AND HEALTH
This area focuses on the substantial opportunities for innovative bioscience research
that exist across the food supply chain to meet the challenge of delivering a healthier
diet to consumers. It covers interventions within the entire food chain from primary
production, through to food manufacture and processing to the retailer and includes
an increased understanding of the effects of food in terms of human physiology,
energy intake and an understanding of human behaviour towards food related to
health. This research will help to deliver greater food security by ensuring a supply
that is not only sufficient, but also safe and nutritious.
UK Industry Need
Diet and Health is now a primary driver for all businesses in the food supply chain,
from primary producers to retailers. The UK has a large number of companies
engaged in food production, but because it consists of mostly SMEs, it is challenging
to introduce new technology in the sector. The industry has limited capacity to
conduct its own research and relatively few large industrial food research laboratories
remain. The industry is served by the Food Research Associations (Campden BRI
and Leatherhead) in providing contract research services, but in areas of more basic
research there is scope for improved linkages with centres of academic excellence
coupled with mechanism to disseminate the results of innovative research to the
companies.
Science to Meet the Need
There are a number of strong centres of excellence in the diet and health research
community in the UK, with many world-leading researchers and engagement of the
academic community with the industrial sector through collaborative research.
BBSRC and other funders have invested in strategic research relevant to diet and
health that is interdisciplinary in nature, bringing together biosciences, physical
sciences and engineering. This investment has facilitated advancements in research
relating to an improved understanding of healthier diets and bioactives in food that
benefit health.
Impact
BBSRC recognises that increased investment in research activity relating to diet and
health will underpin the needs of the food industry to fulfil the increasing appetite of
the public for healthier foods and help the UK to remain internationally competitive in
this sector. Through gaining an improved understanding of the interactions between
diet and health, the food industry will develop new products in the long term that
address the increasing demands of the consumer for a healthier diet throughout the
lifespan, and in turn address public health issues.
Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC)
DRINC is a £10M, 5-year partnership between BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC and a consortium
of leading food and drink companies aimed at improving our understanding of
healthier diets and increasing our knowledge of the health benefits of bioactives in
food.
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HEALTHY AGEING
The aim of this priority is to increase underpinning research that will inform strategies
for improving health span during ageing and thus minimise the need for health and
social care. BBSRC has invested substantially in this area, which encompasses
underpinning research to gain an understanding of the biology of ageing: how it is
modulated by diet, physical activity and developmental factors; the risk factors of the
ageing process on frailty and poor health; and the identification of the fundamental
research needed to improve physical and mental wellbeing of the aged.
UK Industry Need
By 2051, 40% of the UK population will be over 50 and 1 in 4 over 65. The need for
quality research in healthy ageing impacts a number of UK industries, including
pharmaceutical, food, healthcare and insurance. Industrial research excels in the
areas of drug discovery and development, food, health and well-being, but industry
has identified a gap between exploratory basic research at cellular level and
implementation at personal and population levels where there is scope for improved
linkages with the strong UK academic base in healthy ageing.
Science to Meet the Need
BBSRC contributes to a number of Cross-Research Council multidisciplinary
activities in ageing including the ESRC-led New Dynamics of Ageing, the MRC-led
Lifelong Health and Wellbeing initiative and the BBSRC Centre for Integrated
Systems Biology of Ageing and Nutrition (to which EPSRC contributes). Recent
advances in BBSRC research on ageing include a systems biology approach that
increases the understanding of cellular ageing, identifying an experimental ageing
system in flies, and improving the understanding of mechanisms that lead to ageing
of the immune system. BBSRC is working closely with other national and
international bodies to draw on a broad range of knowledge and experience to
ensure relevance and usefulness of the funded research. The focus is on
understanding the fundamental biological mechanisms underlying the ageing
process. Approaches will be multidisciplinary, using integrative or systems biology
approaches and will lead to the development of new tools and technologies.
Impact
The outcomes of this research will underpin the biological mechanisms underlying
the ageing process and strategies for improving health span during ageing, and thus
lead to a decreased need for health and social care. The research into healthy
ageing will have enormous social and economic impacts on UK industry such as the
development of novel drugs and new interventions to slow or modify the ageing
process.
Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
The proposed Research and Technology Club in Healthy Ageing
A cross-Research Council club in healthy ageing is proposed to underpin research into
healthy ageing that will provide social and economic gains for the UK. The club will
work closely with other cross-Research Council activities in ageing to ensure a
complementary focus of research. There has been a high level of interest from both
industry and academia for the proposed club.
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Biopharmaceuticals Design and Manufacture
Biopharmaceuticals are large and complex molecules which require sophisticated
manufacturing methods. This priority aims to address the research challenges faced
by companies in improving the design and advancing the manufacture of
biopharmaceuticals. In this context, biopharmaceuticals include therapeutic proteins
(antibodies, cytokines etc), megamolecular complexes (viruses, plasmids,
multicomponent assemblies), and cell therapeutics (stem cells, differentiated cells
and tissues).
UK Industry Need
The number of licensed biopharmaceuticals is forecast to grow at a rate of around
20% per annum, an increase stemming from the demonstrable ability of biologicals to
address unmet clinical needs. There is consequently an increasing requirement to
get new therapies to the market and clinic as quickly as possible. However, there are
major problems in designing and producing biopharmaceuticals in sufficient
quantities in a pure and well characterised state at a reasonable price. The
development phase is currently slow, expensive and complicated and, since speed to
market is vital, there is a need for new tools and methods which will contribute to
accelerating development, including designing molecules for manufacturability.
Within the area of cell therapeutics there are many SMEs which help to keep the UK
at the forefront of this area. Special consideration needs to be given to these
companies to enable them to engage with the academic community.
Science to Meet the Need
BBSRC and other funders have increased investment in strategic research relevant
to the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals. These investments have facilitated
advancements in research relating to understanding the bioscience underpinning
bioprocessing and developing improved tools for bioprocessing. The research
investments are relevant to bioprocesses based on microbial cell fermentation or
mammalian cell culture in addition to emerging biological products based on stem
cells and tissue engineering. These advancements have positioned the research
community to address new challenges in cell therapeutics and formulation and
downstream processing. In addition, genomic, proteomic and RNAi methods are
identifying biological molecules that are rapidly achieving proof of concept in
therapeutic disease models. Additional research has the potential to aid the
development of these molecules as medicines, including formulation and chemical
modification to modulate properties.
Impact
It is foreseen that 50% of the top 100 drugs will be biological medicines in 2014, with
7 of the top 10 drugs (by sales) being biological medicines10. Clearly this is an area
which is growing rapidly, but there has been a lack of scientific research to bolster
this growth. The support of research in this area will underpin the needs of the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, with an impact on bioprocesses at all
scales of operation, from the small amounts required for preclinical studies through to
post-licence bulk manufacture. Research using a systems approach where it is
desirable, will help eliminate the bottleneck in the development of biological
medicines and contribute to the development of a vibrant biopharmaceutical
community. The result would be an increased chance of projects reaching the
marketplace and decreasing the time to marketplace. The pharmaceutical companies
10
Evaluate Pharma report, published June 2009
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and biotechnology companies in the UK will extend their product portfolio and
generate valuable intellectual property, and the public will have access to biological
medicines sooner and at a lower price.
Examples of current BBSRC activity
Bioprocessing Research Industry Club (BRIC)
BRIC is a £14M, 5-year partnership between BBSRC, EPSRC and a consortium of
leading companies (£1M) to support innovative bioprocessing-related research,
including that needed for the manufacture of complex biopharmaceuticals. Its themes
are Bioscience underpinning bioprocessing – improving understanding to enhance
bioprocessing and Improved tools for bioprocessing. The bioscience theme includes
work on microbial fermentation and mammalian cell culture, growth of stem and tissue
cells in vitro, and improved understanding of the properties of proteins. The tools
theme includes high throughput process technologies, effective modelling, analytical
methodologies for bioprocessing, and improved downstream processing. The Club
also interfaces with the bioProcessUK KTN, which facilitates innovation and
knowledge transfer in the field of bioprocessing by providing networking opportunities
for all the stakeholders in bioprocessing in the UK.
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Biological Systems for Green and Sustainable Chemicals
This priority encompasses a broad commitment in BBSRC to support the innovation
of biological processes, technologies and products that will replace the UK’s
requirements for petrochemicals with green and sustainable sources of energy and
chemicals. This commitment covers the whole of the supply chain and numerous
sources of biomass, including algal biomass, agricultural residues, biological
components of waste, and other plant materials.
UK Industry Need
The research and industrial communities in this area are emerging, but strong
interest from both the UK industrial and political communities to succeed in replacing
petrochemicals has accelerated the interest in building an integrated and coherent
research-industry network to address research needs. There is potential for
significant advances in each stage of the supply chain, and industry is particularly
interested in ensuring the scalability and cost-effectiveness of promising new
technologies. Research in this area will only be effective in the context of
sustainability and will require interfaces with chemical, physical, environmental and
social sciences to understand the underpinning life cycle analyses behind energy and
chemicals production from an economic and environmental viewpoint.
Science to Meet the Need
While the focus on development of biofuels has spurred research advances, the
potential for developing other sustainable products to replace petro-chemical
products is similarly attractive. Focus on non-food, waste and algal sources of
biomass using a systems biology approach where this is desirable, has the potential
to reduce concerns regarding sustainability and UK strengths in plant breeding,
biocatalysis and bioprocessing can make producing energy and chemicals from
these sources cost-effective. Microbial processes, in particular, are offering solutions
for efficient conversion of biomass to fuels and high-value co-products.
Impact
The global chemicals sector generates over £1.25 trillion in sales every year. In the
past decade, it has grown in value by more than 60%, and at least 5% of chemicals
sold in Europe will involve the use of biotechnology.11 The application of technology
developed in this area will underpin the needs of the pharmaceutical and chemical
sectors, as well as potential applications in the food and cosmetic industries for
flavourings and fragrances. The chemicals sector is likely to be the primary outlet
where innovation in the production of high value speciality organics will be important,
given the increase in competition in bulk chemicals from other parts of the world.
Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
Sustainable Bioenergy Centre
The Centre represents a £27M investment that increases UK bioenergy research
capacity. It brings together six world-class research groups to create a network with
expertise and specialist resources that span the bioenergy pipeline from growing
biomass to fermentation for biofuels. Ensuring that bioenergy is economically,
environmentally and socially sustainable is core to the Centre's programmes. Life
cycle analysis embeds this across the portfolio.
11
http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/sectors/chemicals/IBIGT/page44395.html
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Fifteen leading industrial associates bring business expertise and perspectives, and
support totalling around £7M. This will help ensure that research outputs are translated
into practical applications as quickly as possible.
Integrated Biorefining Research and Technology Club
A £6M, 5-year partnership between BBSRC, EPSRC and a consortium of leading
companies aimed at developing biological processes and feedstocks to reduce our
current dependence on fossil fuels as a source of chemicals, materials and fuel. The
Club interfaces with the KTN's wider Integrated Biorefinery Technologies Initiative
(IBTI) to ensure research is translated from R&D through to demonstration and
deployment.
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Farm Animal Genomics for Health
This priority focuses on the substantial opportunities afforded by the increasing
accessibility of genomic information of farmed animals and associated pathogens, to
better understand the biological basis of traits, leading to a more sustainable farm
animal industry with improved farm animal production, animal health and welfare,
and reduced environmental footprint. Research underpinning farm animal health in
this way is critical to ensuring future food security.
UK Industry Need
The UK has a very high proportion of the leading companies in animal breeding and
animal health. Companies based in the UK are the global leaders in the breeding of
dairy cows, pigs, broiler chickens, turkeys and ducks. These companies have a
successful history of innovation and effective technology transfer. However, as
pressures increase on the food supply chain, improvements in animal health and
productivity will be required to ensure a secure supply of animal products. An
improved understanding of the basic biology of difficult-to-measure traits will allow
breeders to incorporate more molecular and quantitative approaches to selection,
thereby enabling adoption of more balanced breeding goals, increasing productivity
and reducing environmental impact. A focus on translation from animal health to
breeding research and to industry will ensure effective use of research results.
Science to Meet the Need
The selective breeding of farm animals has historically been based on quantitative
genetics. Latterly, however, genomics and new approaches have changed the way
in which research is conducted and as a result, animal breeding is becoming
increasingly complex. The UK has a strong research base in animal
genetics/genomics of farmed livestock species and in animal health, and there are
now substantial opportunities to expand knowledge of genetic control of traits,
including those that are difficult to measure, such as quality of produce and disease
resistance. The capacity and skills are available within the research base to utilise
increased investment. In particular, new opportunities could be realised through
better collaboration, for example, between the different research groups working on
host and pathogen genomics.
Impact
Low cost genotyping and associated knowledge will allow breeding companies to
increase substantially their use of molecular information in selection decisions.
Reducing the disease burden on farm animal populations will increase productivity,
improve animal welfare, and contribute to improved food quality and safety.
Technological advances will also facilitate the development of a more sustainable
farm animal industry, reducing the environmental footprint and improving the
efficiency and success of livestock and animal health companies.
Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
Industrial Partnership Awards: Combating Endemic Diseases of Farmed
Animals for Sustainability Initiative
Ten projects, funded at a value of £11.2M including £1.45M to support Industrial
Partnership Awards, are aimed at generating underpinning scientific knowledge that
will improve animal health and welfare. The projects will enable the more effective,
sustainable management of diseases, with the emphasis on control rather than
treatment, while avoiding or reducing negative environmental impacts and helping to
maintain the competiveness of the UK’s animal production industries.
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Crop Production
The Crop Production priority responds to the challenges facing agriculture in the
context of food security, climate change and environmental sustainability. It covers
innovative underpinning research to allow the sustainable exploitation of cultivated
plants and the translation of basic science to enable its application to agricultural
crops and production systems to meet these challenges.
UK Industry Need
A complex mixture of factors will place increasing stress on the crop production
industry in coming years and there will need to be significant technological advances
in order to meet the challenges ahead. Ensuring food security will mean increasing
the productivity of crops in a sustainable way whilst also responding to changes in
market forces. There will be an increasing demand for crops that can produce
healthier foods as well as feedstocks for chemical and energy production. Important
factors will include the effects of climate change that will bring extremes of
temperature, changes in water availability and altered pest and disease pressures.
Varieties and crop species that are able to thrive under these conditions will be
required, but they must also contribute to production systems that are more
environmentally sustainable, including reduced GHG emissions. This will mean
improved resource use efficiency and less intensive, more integrated husbandry
practices. Furthermore, crop production relies intrinsically on healthy soils and their
restoration and preservation must be achieved through better understanding of soil
structure and function. Meeting these needs will only be possible using a systems
biology approach.
Science to Meet the Need
The UK has the strongest plant molecular biology community within Europe. It also
has a well developed capability in genomics and a large number of institutes,
including Rothamsted Research, John Innes Centre, Institute of Biological,
Environmental and Rural Studies and the Scottish Crop Research Institute. This
priority takes forward elements of the strategy for crop science set out in the crop
science review and will also build on BBSRC’s earlier investments through
responsive mode grants, core funding of institutes and managed initiatives such as
innovation in crop science, Renewable Agricultural Materials LINK Programme and
Systems Approaches to Biological Research (SABR). Rapid advances in
fundamental understanding of plant sciences driven by genomic, proteomic and
metabolic information now permit both transgenic and non transgenic approaches to
meeting the challenges faced by industry.
Impact
We rely on crops for an ever increasing variety of food, fibre, chemical and fuel
products. By supporting research and knowledge transfer in the area of crop
improvement we will continue to build on the world–leading capabilities of the plant
science base in the UK. This will ensure that UK industry continues to lead at the
forefront of innovative crop improvement. Advances in this area will be especially
important in the context of food security and will help the international community to
meet the demand for a 50% increase in global food production by 2030. Progress in
crop improvement will also reduce our dependence on petrochemicals by increasing
the availability of novel chemical and fuel feedstocks from plants. These advances
will be balanced with more sustainable production practices that enhance and protect
natural resources.
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Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
Crop Improvement Club
BBSRC is initiating a Research and Technology Club in the area of crop improvement.
The value of cereal production alone is worth over £2.5bn per year in the UK and we
are net exporters of wheat, barley and oilseed rape. The Club will bring industry
together with the research base to support excellent quality, industrially relevant
research on these important crops, helping to bring improvements in quality and
productivity.
Food Security Roadmap for Research
In the region of 50 % of BBSRC’s funding each year is spent on food-related research.
With increasing threats to global food security from environmental, social and
economic perspectives, this research is increasingly important. BBSRC is leading the
development of a cross-council programme on food security with other funders and a
significant element of this programme will focus on crop production.
LINK Programmes
The BBSRC supports projects in both the Sustainable Arable Programme and the
Renewable Agricultural Materials Programme. LINK delivers high quality, precommercial research in collaboration with two or more academic and industrial
partners. LINK is a very valuable component in the translation of strategic and applied
science into practical solutions.
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Intelligent Storage, Retrieval, and Analysis of Large Datasets
This priority includes the development and harmonisation of e-tools that facilitate the
storage, retrieval, integration, and analysis of large amounts of data through the
development of new biologically-relevant software concomitant with the development
of a mixed economy of computing infrastructure.
UK Industry Need
Genomic, proteomic and metabolomic techniques are advancing our understanding
of cell biology, while data from other sources including cellular images, organ
structure and function, and species morphology and geographic distribution have led
to an unprecedented amount of diverse information. Biological research has become
a greater data-intensive science, challenged in recent years by a very significant
growth in its volume and variety. These data have also become globally distributed.
There is clear benefit for the UK life science industry in exploiting the richness of both
their own data and that which is remotely available. Consequently, there is an
increasing demand from the research community, both in academia and industry, to
be able to share and query remote data and improve the ability of researchers to
analyse large datasets. This is underpinned by the need for more robust data with
harmonised standards allowing for their interoperability. Furthermore, visualisation
tools for data quality should prove to be an advantage and favour data sharing
between Academia and Industry.
Science to Meet the Need
The development of e-tools and better integration of the ‘omics’ advances (genomics,
proteomics, metabolomics) offer the potential for more predictive biology with the
prospect of “in silico” modelling of all types of biological systems. Opportunities for an
improved handling of large biological datasets exist at every stage of the process;
from the need for increased storage capacity, especially since we are moving toward
more spatial and temporal measurements, to the development of computational tools
and approaches for interrogating biological data. In particular, the development of
tools for biologists to facilitate data curation and mining is essential. Also needed are
better integrated solutions for the visualisation of more complex data if the UK is to
benefit from the semantic web revolution and web2.0.
Impact
The development of practical tools for biologist to better handle large datasets would
increase data robustness, interpolation and facilitate sharing. These outcomes have
the potential to increase our knowledge of complex biological traits, thus increasing
drug development opportunities via more targeted approaches while reducing costs.
These include benefits to the pharmaceutical industry for detailed analysis of 3D
protein structure and molecular function and better understanding of molecular
interactions and host response to pathogens. The increased understanding of
complex biological traits have the potential to decrease time to market in drug
development, increase throughput in field trial and therefore decrease costs.
Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
Bioinformatics and Biological Resources Fund
The aim of the Bioinformatics and Biological Resources (BBR) Fund is to support the
establishment, maintenance and enhancement of resources required by bioscientists.
It is intended that the Fund will support high quality community BBR’s of strategic
relevance to BBSRC that are necessary to underpin the UK’s international quality
bioscience. Twenty-two projects have been funded through the first two calls of the
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BBR, totalling approximately £13M, the majority of which were to support einfrastructures underpinning the UK biosciences.
ELIXIR - European Life Sciences Infrastructure for Biological
Information
ELIXIR is a proposed pan-European research infrastructure to provide coordinated and
sustainable support for biological information. The Project seeks to marry the
sustainable delivery of activities currently supported through EMBL-EBI with other
related major national data infrastructures. BBSRC coordinates the Funding Strategy
work package for this ESFRI preparatory project, launched in November 2007.
In August 2009, BBSRC announced £10M (derived from additional budget allocation
from BIS) for developing the existing data resources and IT infrastructure of EMBL-EBI
for 2010-2015, and towards its planned role as the central hub of the emerging
European ELIXIR Project. The successful EBI Industry Partners Programme, which has
run for 12 years, provides specialist workshops, standards-based activities and precompetitive research and development opportunities for large multinational companies
in pharmaceutical, biotech, agricultural, nutrition, personal care and medical devices
industries. Training is also offered to SMEs.
Tools and Resources Development Fund
The Tools & Resources Development Fund (TRDF) is intended to support small or
short-duration, pump priming research projects and / or to bring together communities
for collaborative purposes. Proposals generally involve the development of a novel
technology or method to tackle a biological challenge within the BBSRC remit, but can
also involve community networking for the development of standards and to facilitate
data sharing. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches are strongly
encouraged.
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Exploiting Systems Biology
‘Systems biology’ describes an approach in which experimental biology is integrated
with mathematical or computational modelling, which can then be used to test
hypotheses and predict outcomes before any practical experimentation is performed.
In its fullest expression, systems biology integrates information across different levels
of biological organisation to explain the dynamics of biological function at all levels
from molecules through to cells and to whole organisms and populations.
UK Industry Need
One of the goals of systems biology is to discover new emergent properties that may
arise from studying the “system” as a whole, leading to a more rapid and deeper
understanding of how the “system” is controlled or regulated. This level of
understanding will facilitate the exploitation of biological systems in a wide range of
applications. Whilst it would be unwise to be prescriptive at this stage and define
precise areas in which a systems approach could be most usefully applied to meet
industry needs, it is important to enable closer cooperation with UK companies, to
ensure the commercial potential of a systems approach is realised.
Science to Meet the Need
The focus of bioscience research over much of the last decade has been
reductionist, focusing largely on the structure and activity of macromolecules that
make up cells. However, deeper understanding of complex living systems afforded
by our improving knowledge of eg genomes and the subsequent development of
genomic and proteomic technologies can only be achieved through the application of
mathematical and computational modelling techniques to quantitative experimental
data. Since 2004/5, BBSRC has invested substantially in research, training,
infrastructure and resources for cross-disciplinary studies in systems biology, which
has enabled the UK to become a major international leader in this area. This
investment has included the establishment (with EPSRC) of six Centres for
Integrative and Systems Biology in UK universities and six major research projects to
act as focal points for the expertise in UK systems biology. All of the Centres and
projects have recognised interactions with biotechnology, pharmaceutical,
agrochemical, and instrumentation or computer hardware/software companies.
Impact
Research is at an early stage but is expected to contribute to benefits such as the
more rapid and efficient identification of novel drugs either by improved
understanding of what to target in the biological system or by elimination of
candidates at an earlier stage of development, reducing attrition rates in clinical trials
and improving cost efficiency. Additional benefits should also include improved
prediction of candidate drugs and improved biomanufacturing processes and
products through understanding how the biomanufacturing process is controlled. The
large Pharmaceutical companies are likely to be the first and largest beneficiaries of
systems biology and are already showing strong interest in the development of
systems biology in the science base. In the agricultural sector, increased
understanding of plant responses to changing environmental conditions will improve
yield and quality as well as improving control strategies for pests and disease, and
therefore will contribute to the food security agenda.
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Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
Industry engagement with Centres for Integrative and Systems Biology
BBSRC and EPSRC provided funding of £40M to establish six Centres for Integrative
and Systems Biology that were awarded in 2005 and 2006. As part of this initiative,
Centres were required to develop strong links with the private sector and to date
industry have participated in collaborative research activities, development of
innovation centres and sponsorship of research chairs.
Systems Approaches to Biological Research Initiative
BBSRC and EPSRC also cosponsored a £26M initiative to establish a range of systems
biology research projects that focused on 1) systems approaches to studying
strategically important biological problems across the range of BBSRC’s remit,
integrating experimental and predictive approaches, and 2) e-Tools to support systems
biology research. To encourage private sector engagement in systems biology
projects, applicants demonstrated interactions with specific companies in their
research projects. The projects funded via this initiative involve interaction with a wide
range of companies covering the pharmaceutical, agrochemicals, software and
instrumentation sectors.
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Instrumentation and Measurement: Bioimaging
Instruments and measurements encompass a broad part of BBSRC’s remit, but the
current need articulated from industry in this area is in bioimaging, although
expansion to other tools in this area could be considered in the future.
As highlighted by BBSRC Tools and Resources Strategy, bioimaging focuses on the
development of technologies that span the entire length scale - all the way from
single molecules and single cells through to tissues and organs, living organisms and
finally the environment they inhabit. The scope of bioimaging includes in vitro through
to in vivo functional and mechanistic studies, and the means to obtain complex and
quantitative data sets during in vivo studies with appropriate spatial and temporal
resolution.
UK Industry Need
Costs to develop and bring to market technologies in bioimaging are very high and
could prohibit the growth of the industry. Industry has expressed a need for the
development of molecular tools that could further enhance the bioimaging field since
bioimaging is now at the forefront of diagnostic (animal, plant, water and human
diagnostic), rendering the imaging market very competitive. Specific development in
functional imaging, quantification and novel labelling technologies are therefore
needed. In addition, Industry is looking to better understand the requirements of
biologists to develop responsive products and appropriate tools for research.
Science to Meet the Need
Future development of the bioimaging field requires the development of new imaging
tools and techniques throughout the imaging supply chain from molecular and cell
biology to mechanical and acoustic methods. These encompassed the development
of novel contrast agents and biomarkers at the cellular level to the development of
spatial and temporal acquisition methods for molecular, cellular, organ and whole
organism image acquisition. These developments often require a multidisciplinary
approach and promote cross-disciplines interactions.
Impact
Research in this area is ultimately expected to contribute to a better understanding of
molecular and cellular interactions at both organ and organism levels but also
develop further understanding of biological interaction within the environment. This
increased understanding of biological systems will lead to new drug discoveries and
therapies using a targeted approach in both animals and plants. A highlight of this
area is that it promotes the development of non-invasive, non-destructive
technologies, such as telemetry, that address the 3R’s of animal use in research
(replacement, refinement, reduction).
Examples of Current BBSRC Activity
Technology Development Research Initiative
BBSRC ran two calls to the Technology Development Research Initiative (TDRI)
through the Spending Review 2004 period, awarding £17.6M to 30 projects. BBSRC
contributed £13M to the call; EPSRC provided £4.6M in co-funding. The TDRI priorities
identified key technological bottlenecks for the bioscience research community. The
overall aim of the initiative was to build a multidisciplinary community of researchers
working with technology developers (either academically- or commercially-based)
together to develop and advance technology development for the biosciences. The
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outputs from this initiative have the potential to be the next generation of analytical
biotechnology, of significant relevance to the UK bio-industries.
Investing in the Knowledge Base
During the period 2003-2008, BBSRC invested nearly £27 million in 80 projects in
technology development related to bioimaging, and there is now a need to focus on the
translation of results from this research to industry.
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