Fostering public confidence in engineering biology: insights from DSIT's survey

In this blog Izzy Webb, Deputy Director for technology, strategy and security in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), discusses the UK Government's survey on engineering biology, outlining its limited public awareness but sharing optimism about its potential to address societal challenges.

In the National Vision for Engineering Biology, the UK Government defines engineering biology as the design, scaling, and commercialisation of biology-derived products and services that can transform sectors or produce existing products more sustainably. It draws on the tools of synthetic biology to create the next wave of innovation in the bioeconomy. Many BIA members will already be using engineering biology to develop products and services.

Engineering biology is truly a transformative technology, and the British public has already encountered and welcomed some applications of engineering biology, such as vaccinations and personalised health therapies. In the coming years, more and more products created through engineering biology will be commercialised and reach markets across health, agriculture and food, low carbon fuels, chemicals and materials and waste and environment.

To best support the UK in growing a thriving engineering biology industry, DSIT is committed to listening to those outside of government, engaging with academia and industry, but also with the public. As with any emerging technology, the public will seek to understand what engineering biology will be used for, how they will access the benefits and how potential harms will be mitigated. Maintaining a positive and transparent dialogue between government and the public will help foster public confidence in the technology, empowering citizens to capitalise on the benefits of engineering biology.

That is why DSIT committed to developing robust insights into public attitudes towards engineering biology. In August 2024, DSIT surveyed 3,000 UK adults, aged between 18-65+ to gain insight into their understanding and their perceptions of engineering biology. DSIT has now published the findings of this survey. This is DSIT’s first dedicated survey of the UK public on their perceptions of engineering biology across the five application areas.

Key findings from the survey include:

• That there is limited public awareness of engineering biology, but that people are likely to be optimistic about using engineering biology to solve societal challenges. 
• There was a strong belief amongst respondents that all of the applications of engineering biology could be useful.
• There was also broad agreement that the government is well placed to make decisions about the use of engineering biology, but that the public should also be involved in decision making.

This survey is the starting point, DSIT will continue to build public awareness of the potential of engineering biology and use public attitudes to guide its work and promote the adoption of engineering biology products.