“BIOROBOOST: fostering synthetic biology standardization through international collaboration” is a European project coordinated by the University of Valencia whose main objective is to promote the standardization of synthetic biology through international collaboration and debate.
On September 16th, 2021, the closing event of the BioRoboost project took place, sp in the Veles e Vents building of the Marina of Valencia. The event was attended by national and international representatives of the biotechnology sector, as well as authorities representing the University of Valencia, such as Mª Dolores Real and the Generalitat Valenciana, as is the case of Deputy Mayor Sergi Campillo.
First, the official White Book resulting from the project was presented: “Standardization in Synthetic Biology: State-of-the-art and recommendations for policy makers” by Manuel Porcar, principal investigator of the project, leader of the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology of the I2SysBio (Institute for Integrative Systems Biology) and president of Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence. The book is a compilation of specific recommendations for the different stakeholders involved in the field of synthetic biology. It is a set of actions and general guidelines, directed especially towards those with scientific and political decision-making power, with the main objective of achieving standardization in this field.
Subsequently, the event was divided into two parts: a presentation of the conclusions obtained by the project with the different collaborating entities and, on the other hand, a meeting with the main companies in the biotechnology sector at the national level. In the first part of the event, Manuel Porcar and Kristie Tanner (Project Manager of Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence) were able to contribute their points of view regarding the needs of standardization in the synthetic biology sector. Regarding the question: “What do you think is the most urgent standard to develop?” Kristie replied: “I think that a standardization in the coordination of R&D projects is necessary. There are standards in all kinds of project phases, but there is still nothing that specifically coordinates R&D projects in synthetic biology.
In the final stretch of the event, the main companies in the biotechnology sector nationwide exhibited their latest research and products. In the case of DARWIN, Cristina Vilanova, CSO of Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence explained Darwin’s bioprospecting activity and its future outlook.
With this project, we are actively collaborating in a scientific and technological revolution in the sector. In addition, the conclusions drawn from the event make clear the starting point to clarify the routes to follow for the future of the standardization of synthetic biology.
