Engineering Biology Infrastructure Programme.

***** THIS IS AN AWARD NOTICE, NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION *****

This procurement is being concluded following a mini competition under the GCA RM6126 - Research & Insights Framework.

Brief overview of the requirement. The Engineering Biology Infrastructure Programme (EBIP) is a core delivery component of the wider UKRI Engineering Biology Programme (EBP) and contributes directly to the Government's Industrial Strategy and DSIT priorities. The programme addresses a critical systemic failure: the UK's inability to scale engineering biology innovations from laboratory (TRL 3-4) to pilot-commercial deployment (TRL 6-7).

Despite strong research capability and SME innovation, the UK ecosystem is constrained by: • limited access to pilot and demonstration-scale infrastructure • high costs and barriers to facility access • fragmented and poorly coordinated infrastructure landscape • underutilisation of existing assets • gaps in scale-up skills and operational capability • insufficient capital for infrastructure-intensive scale-up.

This results in a "scale-up bottleneck", leading to stalled commercialisation, relocation of companies overseas and loss of UK-funded IP and economic value. The Engineering Biology Infrastructure Programme (EBIP) addresses this major UK challenge in scaling engineering biology innovations from research to commercial deployment. A significant part of the programme is the Scale-up infrastructure fund (£132m), which will establish new and enhance existing scale-up facilities to meet the needs of UK innovators.