Building Capacity for the Engineering of Biology and Biomanufacturing in Finland

Finland's efforts on engineering biology (synthetic biology) originate from the investments in genetic engineering at the beginning of 1980s. The efforts were linked early on with industry, such as dairy companies, vaccine production and production of ethanol and industrial enzymes, and development of commercial scale bioprocesses. Timely support for activities in metabolic engineering, systems biology and genome wide technologies (omics) and incorporating bioinformatics and cell level modelling evolved the field naturally towards synthetic biology and biofoundry activities. This foundation has created a strong basis in industrial biotechnology in particular, its insights and capabilities being increasingly relevant today within the green transition and bioeconomy contexts. In Finland, more than 830 companies are categorised to operate in biotechnology, collectively producing a turnover of 7.1 billion euros and providing jobs for around 19,400 people. Technology and business opportunities are developing fastest in the field of modern biotechnology rooted in molecular biology. Consequently, in the past 15 years, Finland has evidenced the founding of many new biotechnology firms. In relation to bioeconomy, Finland has also a significant research tradition in plant biotechnology and breeding and in pilot scale cultivation of plant cells. Furthermore, engineering biology activities within medical biotechnology and diagnostics are strong. According to a recent report, 88.5% of the revenue of Finnish biotechnology companies comes from activities classified as industrial biotechnology. This article focuses on engineering/synthetic biology developments for industrial biotechnology, including microbial production of food components and pharma products.