Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, when funding opportunities for engineering biology businesses will be launched by Innovate UK through the National Engineering Biology Programme.

Innovate UK recently launched several funding opportunities for engineering biology businesses including an £8.5m collaborative R&D competition, an £8m Investor Partnerships competition, and a £3m Contracts for Innovation pilot competition with Defra and FSA through the National Engineering Biology Programme. Further funding opportunities will be launched across the SR period, including an Accelerator (with aligned Feasibility funding) towards the end of the year, supporting early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs in commercialising engineering biology innovations. The UKRI future research and funding opportunities pages will provide details of forthcoming calls.