Australian biomanufacturing puts on a strong show at SynBioBeta 2024

Australian biomanufacturing went on tour to the US in May 2024, and our Advanced Engineering Biology Future Science Platform (AEB FSP) was right in the thick of it.  

The destination? SynBioBeta – the global synthetic biology conference held every year in California, US. 

Presenting to an audience of 300 people on the main stage, AEB FSP Director Robert Speight discussed Australia’s strengths with co-founder and CEO of biotech company Cauldron, Michele Stansfield.  

During their enlightening fireside chat, Robert spoke about the three pillars of Australia’s synbio ecosystem. These included research activities and infrastructure; government policies and priorities; and our vibrant start-up scene.  

“I think in Australia, we were a little bit late to the party in synthetic biology compared to places like the US,” Robert said.  

“We only really came together as a field in 2014. But in the last decade, we’ve come a long way and really caught up.” 

New research and infrastructure – pillar one 

As a case in point, Robert pointed to the explosion in research activities and funding for infrastructure.  

“Our Australian Research Council has funded multiple Centres of Excellence,” Robert said.  

“These are typically $50 million research endeavours, and we’ve got four of those in Australia in the area of synthetic biology.” 

The four Centres of Excellence include Synthetic Biology, Plants for Space, Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems, and Quantum Biotechnology.  

Another example Robert flagged was Bioplatforms Australia, which invests in state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics relevant to synthetic biology.  

He also tipped a hat to Australia’s two public biofoundries: the Australian Genome Foundry at Macquarie University, and IDEA Bio at The University of Queensland.  

Government policies and priorities – pillar two 

The second pillar Robert spoke to was around Australia’s national, state and regional policies and priorities. 

“At the national level, there have been some really exciting recent announcements,” Robert said.  

He mentioned the Prime Minister’s Made in Australia policy – which to the US audience could be considered an equivalent to the Inflation Reduction Act – as it could mean forward movement in Australian biomanufacturing.  

He also flagged the National Reconstruction Fund, which seeks to support Australian projects that drive high-value industry transformation. Advanced manufacturing and biomanufacturing may be included in this.   

At the state government level, Robert pointed out how the Queensland Government has seized opportunities relating to biomanufacturing and industrial biotechnology.  

As well as having a thriving agricultural and sugar industry, there have been significant efforts to diversify those industries and attract inward investment from companies overseas.  

Reinvigorating the regions: Greater Whitsundays 

“Drilling down to a regional level, we have a city called Mackay, which is about halfway up the coast of Queensland,” Robert said. 

“It’s in the Greater Whitsunday region, and the Greater Whitsunday Alliance is an organisation really pushing the development of new industries there… It’s in the heart of the sugar country.” 

The area has been designated a Future Foods BioHub by the Queensland Government, unlocking incentives and opportunities to build new food manufacturing processes there.  

It’s also home to the Queensland University of Technology’s fermentation pilot plant, which is due to reopen soon following an upgrade and refurbishment.  

A vibrant start-up ecosystem – pillar three 

As Robert explained, we’ve seen 16 new companies stood up in Australia over the past three years.  

“We’ve got a very supportive investor network, led by Main Sequence Ventures, which has funded a lot of these companies,” said Robert.  

“We’ve got companies like Nourish Ingredients, making alternative oils for food applications.  

“Companies like Eden brew, who are making milk proteins.  

“Number 8 Bio, making feed supplements for cattle which eliminate methane emissions.  

“And Samsara Eco, who are working on infinite plastic recycling. And last but not least, Cauldron is also one of our great start-up ecosystem companies,” Robert said.   

Drawing on her own experiences of the start-up scene, Michele from Cauldron spoke to the collaborative nature of Australia’s fast-growing synbio slipstream, and the safe and supportive regulatory environment.  

Robert and Michele came as part of a 25-person strong delegation, representing Australia’s biomanufacturing slipstream. For many of the Australian delegates, it was their first time at SynBioBeta – and it did not disappoint.