BIA’s new Deep Biotech report is a blueprint for the future

London, 2 May 2025 —The BioIndustry Association (BIA) has today published a report highlighting the rapid growth of the UK’s Deep Biotech sector — where cutting-edge biology is driving sustainable innovation across a variety of fields, from vital areas such as food and fuel to packaging and fashion. As the UK positions itself as a global leader in the bioeconomy, the findings outline the urgent need for coordinated policy and infrastructure investment to unlock the full potential of this transformative sector.

The term ‘Deep Biotech’, coined by BIA, denotes a new generation of biology-powered companies utilising tools such as AI and synthetic biology to create jobs,  propel economic growth, tackle climate change and mitigate threats to global sustainability.

Steve Bates OBE, CEO of the BIA, said:

Deep Biotech is the engine of the UK’s next industrial revolution—harnessing biology to transform how we eat, dress and travel. This report shows the UK is primed to lead the global shift to a sustainable bioeconomy— but to seize that opportunity, we must back our innovators with bold policy and targeted investment.

Among the most significant findings of the report are:

• UK Deep Biotech companies raised £1.09 billion in private investment between 2018 and 2024.
• UK Deep Biotech companies secured £132 million in grants between 2018 and 2024, including £80.6 million from Innovate UK. 
• Deep Biotech contributes to 10 of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The report calls for targeted government action to support scale-up and ensure Deep Biotech companies can compete globally. It comes at a time when Government and scientific support for Engineering Biology is reaffirmed. The new Science & Technology Framework published this week recognises Engineering Biology as one of five critical technologies to drive UK growth alongside AI and quantum, and commits the UK to financing innovative science companies as a core lever. Alongside this, the Government Chief Scientific Advisor Dame Angela McLean's demonstration of the breadth of engineering biology’s transformative potential to solve real-world problems highlights Deep Biotech as being of strategic importance going forward.

Read the report at www.deepbiotech.org