Biology will never be the same. The remarkable scientific success of biology in describing, explaining, and manipulating natural systems is so well recognized as to be a cliche—but the engineering application of that scientific knowledge is just beginning. In the same way that electrical engineering grew from physics to become a separate discipline in the early part of the last century, we see the growth of a new engineering discipline: one oriented to the intentional design, modeling, construction, debugging, and testing of artificial living systems.
Tom Knight in "Engineering novel life" Mol. Sys. Biol. doi:10.1038/msb4100028 (2005)

A history of Synthetic Biology and green plant engineering through scientific reports

2026: Engineering Biology in Scotland
2026: Engineering Biology in Northern Ireland
2025: Universities and Global Innovation
2025: UK Aspirations in Engineering Biology
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2025: OECD Synthetic Biology, AI and Automation
2025: OECD Synthetic Biology
2025: Scaling in Engineering Biology
2025: Governance of Engineering Biology
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2025: Royal Society Meeting Report on Engineering Biology
2024: Alternative Proteins in Europe
2024: BBSRC Synthetic Biology for Growth Programme
2024: Arthur Little Report on Synthetic Biology
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2024: NATO and Synthetic Biology Report
2024: Capgemini Report on Engineering Biology
2024: UK Public Perception of Engineering Biology - Health
2024: UK Public Perception of Engineering Biology - Food
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2024: Engineering Biology Metrics and Standards
2024: SynBio Investment Report
2023: US National Action Plan for Biotechnology
2023: Open Technology Impacts in Cambridge
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2023: UK Vision for Engineering Biology
2023: UK Vision for Engineering Biology - technical info
2023: Sustainable Proteins in the UK
2022: RAE Entrepreneur's Handbook
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2022: Science for Sustainable Agriculture
2022: Indian agri-tech
2012: White House Report on Biomanufacturing
2021: UKRI Engineering Biology
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2022: AgFunder Report
2021: Genspace Annual Report
2020: Building Blocks for Better Science
2015: Democratized Scientific Instrumentation
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2022: US Bioeconomy Strategy report
2022: Controlled Environment Agriculture report
2022: EBRC Engineering Biology for Climate & Sustainability
2022: InnovateUK Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-2025
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2022: BBSRC Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-2025
2022: Africa AgriFoodTech report
2022: UK Science Superpower report
2022: UKRI Strategy 2022-2027
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2021: Long Food Movement report
2021: Politics of Protein report
2021: Spotlight on UK Spinouts report
2021: Farm Tech Investment report
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2021: Foundations of AgTech report
2021: AgTech ecosystems report
021: Low cost and open source hardware report
2021: Responsible Research Assessment report
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2021: EBRC Engineering Biology and Materials Science roadmap
2021: Roadmap for Synthetic Biology in Finland
2021: Code of Conduct for Scientific Integrity
2021: CVC Insights report: Agriculture
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2020: Plant Science 2020-2030 Vision
2020: EBRC Microbiome Engineering report
2020: SynBioBeta - California's Bioeconomy
2020: LNBL Plant Single Cell Workshop report
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2020: McKinsey - The Bio Revolution report
2020: AgFunder - European Agri-FoodTech report
2020: AgFunder - Agri-Food Tech for 2019
2020: EU progress towards Open Science report
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2020: National Academies - Safeguarding the Bioeconomy report
2020: McKinsey - Agriculture & climate change report
2019: RAE Engineering Biology
2019: Synbiobeta - Investment report
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2019: EBRC Engineering Biology Roadmap
2019: UK Research & Innovation Delivery Plan
2019: EPSRC Delivery Plan
2019: BBSRC Delivery Plan
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2019: Synthace - Computer aided biology in the 21st century - report
2019: AgFunder - EuropeanAgriFood Tech survey for 2018
2019: AgFunder - China AgriFood Startup survey for 2018
2019: Assessment of synthetic biology and conservation - full report
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2019: Assessment of synthetic biology and conservation - summary
2019: Forward Look for UK Bioscience report
2019: RAND report - emerging science & Technology
2019: UKRI Infrastructure Roadmap. Progress Report
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2019: UKRI Infrastructure Road map. Initial analysis of landscape.
2018: National Academies - Open Science by Design report
2018: Growing the Bioeconomy. UK Government
2018: Building the UKRI Strategy. UKRI .
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2018: Confident Capital: backing UK biotech. BIA
2019: Growing the Future. Royal Society of Biology and UK Plant Sciences Federation.
2018: BBSRC-EPSRC OpenPlant Handbook. OpenPlant
2018: Synthetic Biology Annual Investment Report Synbiobeta.
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2018: Emerging Risks Report. Lloyd's & Imperial College
2018: Building the Business of Biodesign. Cambridge Consultants
2018: Nagoya workshop report
2018: Towards an open material transfer agreement. OpenPlant, BBF
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2018: The global state of the art in engineering education. MIT
2018: UK Industrial strategy for AI
2018: Blocking the Chain. ETC.
2018: Genetically Engineered Clothes. ETC
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2018: Forcing the Farm. ETC
2018: Gene-edited organisms in agriculture:
Risks and unexpected consequences. FOE
2018: Genomics for Agriculture & Agri-Food. Ontario Genomics
2018: The Present and Future State of Synthetic Biology in Canada. Institute on Governance
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2018: Synthetic Biology in Australia: An outlook to 2030. ACOLA
2018: Synthetic biology innovation report: Breakthroughs, enabling technologies and key trends. Patsnap
2018: Biodefense in the age of Synthetic Biology. NAS
2018: Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030. NAS
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2017: FAO Future of Food and Agriculture: Trends & challenges
2017: Agrifood Atlas. Heinrich Boll Stiftung & FOE
2017: Decision adopted by the conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. CBD Synthetic biology
2017: Synthetic Biology - Does industry get it? Royal Society
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2017: Global Open Science Hardware map. GOSH
2017: Capacity Building for the Bioeconomy in Africa. OpenPlant, EI Foundry
2017: Providing researchers with the skills and competencies they need to practise Open Science.
2017: Building our Industrial Strategy. UK Government
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2017: Mega-Mergers. African Centre for Biodiversity
2017: Microalgae Biofuels: Myths and Risks. BioFuelWatch.
2017: Preparing for Future Products of Biotechnology NAS
2016: Developing standards to support the synthetic biology value chain. Rand Europe and BSI
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2016: OECD Science Technology and Innovation Outlook. OECD
2016: Precision Agriculture and the Future of Farming in Europe. European Parliament
2016: Trends in synthetic biology and gain of function and regulatory implications. Sackler Forum, Royal Society & National Academy of Sciences
2016: Biodesign for the Bioeconomy: UK Synthetic Biology Strategic Plan. Synthetic Biology Leadership Council
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2016: Genetically engineered crops: experiences and prospects. US National Academy of Sciences
2016: GM Plants: questions and answers. Royal Society
2016: Practical laboratory skills for molecular biologists. BIS National Measurement System
2016:: The Synthetic Biology Project at the Wilson Center.
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2016: Genome Editing. Nuffield Council on Bioethics
2016: National Strategy for Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products. NSTC Biotech Working Group
2016: Think Synthetic Biology. Ontario Genomics.
2016: From plant to crop: the past, present and future of crop breeding. VIB
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2016: Outsmarting Nature: Heinrich Boll Stiftung & ETC
2016: UK Life Sciences Industrial Strategy
2015: Global assessment of biological engineering and manufacturing. World Technology Evaluation Centre
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2015: Synthetic Biology - the next phase of biotechnology and genetic engineering. German Office of Technology Assessment
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2015: Digital DNA: The Nagoya Protocol, intellectual property treaties and Synthetic Biology. Wilson Center.
2015: The DNA of the US regulatory system. Wilson Center
2015: US Trends in Synthetic Biology research funding. Wilson Center.
2015: Industrialisation of Biology: a roadmap to accelerate the advanced manufacturing of chemicals. US National Academies
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2014: The ascent of digital biomanufacturing - creating a new manufacturing industry through the development of synthetic biology standards. BSI & Innovate UK
2014: Synthetic Biology and Biosecurity. DSSHM & Kings College, London
2014: Timeline for Synthetic Biology. Research Councils UK
2014: Next steps for European Synthetic Biology. ERA SynBio
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2014: Shaping our food. Misra Biotech
2014: Creating a research agenda for the ecological implications of Synthetic Biology. Wilson Center
2014: Eight Great Technologies: Life Sciences, Genomics and Synthetic Biology. UK Intellectual Property Office
2014: Emerging technologies and industries strategy. Innovate UK
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2014: Emerging policy issues in Synthetic Biology. OECD
2014: Synthetic Biology and the US biotechnology regulatory system: challenges and options. JCVI
2014: Synthetic Biology: opportunities for Scotland. Scottish Science Advisory Council
2014: Ethics debates on Synthetic Biology in the three regions. European Commission GEST
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2013: Developing plant synthetic biology in the UK: opportunities and recommendations. GARNet
2013: DOE Report to Congress: Synthetic Biology. US DOE
2013: Positioning Synthetic Biology to meet the challenges of the 21st century: summary report of the six academies symposium series. US National Academy
2013: Seven myths and realities about Do-It-Yourself Biology. Wilson Center
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2013: How will Synthetic Biology and conservation shape the future of nature? Wildlife Conservation Society
2013: The Nagoya protocol and synthetic biology research: a look at the potential impacts. Wilson Center
2012: Achieving food security in the face of climate change. CGIAR
2012: A Synthetic Biology roadmap for the UK. Technology Strategy Board
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2012: Synthetic Biology: a review of the technology, and current and future needs from the regulatory framework in Great Britain. HSE
2012: Synthetic account of the second global plan of action for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. FAO report.
2012: Principles for the oversight of Synthetic Biology. FOE, CTA & ETC
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2012: US National bioeconomy blueprint. The White House
2011: The transnational governance of Synthetic Biology: Scientific uncertainty, cross-borderness and the "art" of governance. BIOS
2011: E. chromi outreach brochure. Daisy Ginsberg & James King
2011: Second global plan of action for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. FAO
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2011: The state of the world's land and water resources for food and agriculture. FAO
2011: What are the potential roles for Synthetic Biology in NASA's mission. NASA
2010: Europeans and biotechnology in 2010: winds of change? European Commission
2010: A decade of EU-funded GMO research. European Commission
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2010: New Directions: the ethics of Synthetic Biology and emerging technologies. US Presidential Commission
2010: Realising European potential in Synthetic Biology: scientific opportunities and good governance. European Academies
2010: Synthetic Biology Dialogue. BBSRC
2010: Symposium Report: Opportunities and challenges in the emerging field of Synthetic Biology. OECD & Royal Society
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2010: Addressing biosecurity concerns related to Synthetic Biology. US NSABB
2010: Synthetic Biology: Building on nature's inspiration. US National Academies
2010: Trends in Synthetic Biology research funding in the United States and Europe. Wilson Center
2009: The bioeconomy to 2030: designing a policy agenda. OECD
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2009: Synthetic Biology: scope, applications and implications. Royal Academy of Engineeering
2009: Synthetic Biology: public dialogue on synthetic biology. Royal Academy of Engineeering
2009: Synthetic Biology influencing development. Lloyds
2009: A new biology for the 21st century. US National Academies
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2008: Synthetic Biology: Social and ethical challenges. BBSRC
2008: Grand Challenges for Engineering. US National Academy of Engineering
2008: Engineering Life: the emerging field of Synthetic Biology. Royal Society of Chemistry & Institute of Physics
2008: Parliamentary Postnote 298 on Synthetic Biology. UK Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology
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2008: Synthetic Biology: risks and opportunities of an emerging field. International Risk Governance Council
2007: HSE Horizon scanning intelligence group short report: Synthetic Biology. HSE
2007: Extreme Genetic Engineering: an introduction to Synthetic Biology. ETC Group
2006: Constructing Life: Early reflections on the emerging field of Synthetic Biology. Rathenau Institute
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2006: Analysis of Synthetic Biology research in Europe and North America. European Commission
2005: Catalysis in renewable feedstocks: a technology roadmap. UK DTI
2005: DOE Genomics:GTL Roadmap. US Department of Energy
2005: Synthetic Biology: applying engineering to biology. NEST Expert Group, European Commission
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2003: Synthetic Biology Study. DARPA sponsored study group
2002: Genetically modified plants for food use and human health. Royal Society
1996: ISAT Summer Study: Cellular Computing. DARPA sponsored study group
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