ERASYNBIO · Development and Coordination of Synthetic Biology in the European Research Area

Synthetic biology is an emerging and promising research area with the potential to have a strong impact on innovation and technological progress that is beneficial for the economy and for society as a whole. It is an area at the intersection of engineering, bioscience, chemistry, and information technology.The central idea of ERASynBio is to promote the robust development of synthetic biology by structuring and coordinating national efforts and investment. ERASynBio will develop a white paper (WP1), which will support the emergence of national synthetic biology programmes and which will lay the ground for transnational funding activities via joint calls in the project (WP6). ERASynBio will stimulate and tackle the interdisciplinary nature and immaturity by offering training and educational possibilities (WP4), establishing an interdisciplinary advisory board and inviting observers of other funding organisations. It will further provide extensive dialogue options (WP1-5) and exchange fora (WP3) for the scientific community. Close collaboration between academia and industry aiming to fertilize the innovation process will occur on several levels (WP1, WP3, WP6). To adhere to ethical, legal and societal aspects as well as to technical issues like standardisation and infrastructure development ERASynBio will trace and integrate the ongoing work and research on these framework conditions and integrate them in the white paper (WP2 and WP5).It is a challenge for the ERA-Net to successfully coordinate the newly emerging activities in this field as only a few partners have fully developed national programmes for synthetic biology. Thus it is the aim to create the ERA of synthetic biology in parallel with the development of the scientific community. It is the first time a truly European research community can be build almost from the beginning of its development.