Calls for a national strategy for bioinnovation

“We need to be ready for biotech’s ChatGPT moment”

-Eric Schmidt, former CEO in Google, Time Magazine April 2024.

Biotechnology are among the most transformative technologies of our time. We got a taste of the potential during the COVID pandemic: Only days after the virus had been identified, the genetic code had been read by and shared with scientists around the world. Four weeks later, the mRNA vaccine was ready for testing. That this vaccine in record time saved millions of lives worldwide is thanks to an increasingly advanced biotechnology toolkit that allows us to efficiently decode, program and design biology.

Combined with artificial intelligence, developments in biotechnology will accelerate dramatically. For example, generative AI has recently been used to design completely new, effective antibiotics against antibiotic-resistant bacteria — one of the biggest threats to public health, the environment, society and the global economy. This is one example of how synthetic biology can help create new and needed knowledge, products and services.

The potential for innovative bioinnovations is at least as great in other sectors, particularly where biological inputs form the basis of the value chain. More climate-friendly, animal-friendly and land-efficient food production, both on land and in the sea, are among the areas where biotechnology will be enabling and of greatest importance. But other value chains that are not currently based on biology will also be fundamentally affected: Analyses show that 60 percent of everything humans physically consume could potentially be made biologically. New and more sustainable materials, industrial raw materials and new types of fuels are examples.

Biotechnology is already among the fastest growing industries globally. In the European Union, biotechnology companies grew over twice as fast as the economy in general during the period 2008-2018. Growth is expected to be even greater going forward. And it is predicted that by 2030 the bioeconomy - the creation of value from biological resources - could grow to around $30 trillion, a third of the world's GDP today.

A number of countries have developed new strategies to position themselves for these developments.

• The United States launched in 2022 its National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Strategy with a budget of around two billion dollars to strengthen bioinnovation across sectors. Furthermore, they have set up a National Bioeconomy Board — a public-private cross-sectoral strategy group to promote welfare, national security, sustainability, economic productivity and competitiveness through biotechnology and bioproduction. The group is led by the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy and the Department of Business and Industry, and has representation from an additional nine ministries.
• China also introduced in 2022 a new strategy in which biotechnology is designated as a key tool for sustainable development in health, agriculture and environmental protection, and they have set themselves the goal of becoming a world leader in the technology-driven bioeconomy by 2035.
• In the autumn of 2023, the UK put forward its National Vision for Engineering Biology, supported by funding of two billion pounds for research and development as well as a range of other initiatives to strengthen its position in bioinnovation.
• The European Commission published the Spring 2024 Action Plan Building the Future with Nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU. The measures range widely, from increased research funding and market stimulation measures to legislative regulation and population-oriented information measures.
• In February 2024, the Danish government put forward a new national strategy for green jobs and “biosolutions” - to maintain and strengthen Denmark's leading position in bioproduction and precision fermentation, among other things - in line with recommendations from a number of key industry players such as Dansk Industri, Dansk Erhverv and Novo Nordisk.

Norway also has strong prerequisites for bioinnovation. Among other things, Norwegian biotechnological development of effective vaccines for salmon has been the prerequisite for our position in and export from the aquaculture industry. We have access to world-class knowledge, capital and renewable biological resources, not only within the traditional bio-sectors of agriculture, aquaculture and forestry, but also increasingly in life sciences, medicine and bioindustry. To capitalise on opportunities, strengthen our competitiveness internationally and be positioned for biotechnology's ChatGPT moment, we need an ambitious policy for the emerging technology-driven bioeconomy. This must include significant professional development and innovative technology, as well as the transformation of Norwegian business. Existing initiatives, strategies and action plans are not sufficient to meet the disruptive developments facing the world.

We recommend three main measures to the government:

1. Create a national strategy for bioinnovation that spans across sectors, embraces the full breadth of Norwegian expertise and sets ambitious goals for value creation in new and existing Norwegian value chains in order to realize the great opportunities that bioinnovation and synthetic biology bring. A strategy must be followed up with a targeted approach and include significant investments in both human capital (knowledge and skills), physical infrastructure, technology and venture capital for companies and innovators. Regulations and bureaucracy should be reviewed and streamlined to remove unnecessary barriers, as the European Commission also recommends. At the same time, work on biosafety, particularly in relation to biological weapons and other misuse of biotechnology, should be strengthened — as the United Kingdom and the United States, among others, are doing.
2. Set up a national council for bioinnovation with actors from both the public and private sectors (research, business, government and civil society) that can advise politicians on how Norway can realise the potential of biotechnology in the bioeconomy and ensure our attractiveness and position in a rapidly changing global landscape. This will be in line with the Britons' Engineering Biology Steering Group and the Americans' National Bioeconomy Board. A Norwegian Council for Bioinnovation can be created on the model of the Health Care 21 Council, whose mission is to create a targeted and holistic national effort for research and innovation in health and care.
3. Choose bioinnovation as the next national export strategy. Norway already has a strong foundation with rich natural resources, outstanding research environments and a well-educated workforce, which gives us an advantage in the development of advanced biotechnology products and services. By investing in bio-innovation as a national export venture, we can capitalize on the global demand for sustainable foods, environmentally friendly industrial processes, and advanced medical solutions. This will not only strengthen the Norwegian economy, but also help to meet global challenges such as climate change, food security and health crises.