The centre has been awarded £1.2m through an International Centre to Centre grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation. Led by Professor , Interim Director of the MIB, along with Professor and Dr , and in partnership with Professor David Baker from the Institute of Protein Design (IPD) at the University of Washington, ICED will employ the latest deep-learning protein design tools to accelerate the development of new biocatalysts for use across the chemical industry. The centre will deliver customised biocatalysts for sustainable production of a wide range of chemicals and biologics, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, materials, commodity chemicals and advanced synthetic fuels.

Biocatalysis uses natural or engineered enzymes to speed up valuable chemical processes. This technology is now widely recognised as a key enabling technology for developing a greener and more efficient chemical industry. Although powerful, existing experimental methods for developing industrial biocatalysts are costly and time-consuming, and this restricts the potential impact of biocatalysis on many industrial processes. Furthermore, for many desirable chemical transformations there are no known enzymes that can serve as starting templates for experimental engineering. In ICED we will bring together leading computational and experimental teams from across academia and industry to bring about a step-change in the speed of biocatalyst development. The approaches developed will also allow the development of new families of enzymes with catalytic functions that are unknown in nature.

Professor David Baker, lead researcher from the Institute of Protein Design says; “Accurately designing efficient enzymes with new catalytic functions is one of the grand challenges for the protein design field. We are thrilled to be working with Professor Green and his team in the MIB to address this crucial biotechnological challenge.’’

The design tools developed throughout the project will be readily available to specialists and non-specialists to support their own enzyme engineering and biocatalysis needs. As the centre develops, we expect to grow our partnerships with the wider academic and industrial sector to ensure that we can best serve the needs and ambitions of the global biocatalysis community.

With the chemical and pharmaceutical industries contributing £30.7bn to the UK economy alone, technologies like biocatalysis are poised to revolutionise how every day, essential products are made while also benefitting our health and our environment.

The project leverages a £5 million investment from the ’s Place-Based Impact Acceleration Account to stimulate innovation and commercial growth. The IBIC will give businesses and start-ups a platform to engage with higher education institutions, governmental organisations and researchers in the north-west, and support translating fundamental biotechnology research from the lab to the real world.   

The IBIC launches at a significant time for the UK’s biotechnology market. The UK Government’s on biotechnology and signal increasing interest in the sector, which was valued at £21.8billion in 2023, according to IBISWorld.

Professor Aline Miller, Professor of Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Dean for Business Engagement and Innovation at The University of Manchester, said: "Combine academic research with industrial application, and together we can yield transformative outcomes for both our economy and environment.

“With the launch of the IBIC, we are inviting businesses and startups to join us as we take on global challenges like climate change and sustainability. To do that, we need to create a vibrant ecosystem of interconnected disciplines to help scale businesses, bring research to life and ultimately deliver huge economic benefits to the north-west and beyond.”

This invitation extends particularly to SMEs, high-growth biotech companies, and other businesses interested in contributing to and benefiting from a thriving biotechnology industry in the north-west.

Companies interested in participating or learning more about the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst can contact the IBIC team at ibic@manchester.ac.uk for more information and to discuss potential collaboration and partnership opportunities.

‘Tales From The Past’, created in partnership with 91ֱ��’s leading independent brewery Cloudwater Brew Co, celebrates the University’s 200th anniversary and will be launched at its bicentenary festival, where it will be available to buy from the festival bar.

Supported by a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant, The University of Manchester team crossed Saccharomyces jurei, a new species of yeast discovered by Delneri in 2017, with a common ale yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisae, to produce a new starter hybrid strain that enhances the aroma and flavour of the beer.

This new hybrid has several advantages over similar brewing yeasts; it has the ability to thrive at lower temperatures, adds a different flavour profile, and is able to ferment maltose and maltotriose, two abundant sugars present in the wort. These capabilities provide a range of new opportunities for brewers, with the potential for a multitude of hybrids with different fermentation characteristics.

Paul Jones, CEO of Cloudwater Brew Co, said; “It is exciting to be able to brew a beer with a brand new species of yeast and to explore the range of flavours we can create. This beer represents the possibilities of joining academia with industry and we are lucky to have access to this fount of knowledge right on our doorstep.”

The University team has also been developing new hybridisation techniques. Typically, yeast hybrids grow by budding, where a new cell grows from an original ‘parent’, but they are sterile. Now, using a genetic method which doubles the content of the hybrid genome, researchers have overcome infertility allowing the creation of future hybrid generations with diverse traits. These offspring can then be screened for desirable biotechnological characteristics, allowing the team to select and combine beneficial traits from different yeast species using multigenerational breeding.

As yeasts play a major role in many industrial biotechnology applications, different hybrids bred in this way pave the way for creating bespoke microbial factories that can be used to create sustainable products.

As well as their familiar roles in brewing and baking, scientists use yeasts as model organisms to study how cells work. This role has placed them at the forefront of engineering biology, an emerging area of science that seeks to use nature’s own biological mechanisms to replace current, unsustainable industrial processes. As a result, the team’s novel yeast could lead to future breakthroughs in new, green pharmaceuticals and more sustainable fuels.

To launch the beer and share more about her pioneering work, Professor Delneri will give a talk at the Universally 91ֱ�� festival on Friday 7 June at 5.45pm. Tickets can be

The awards celebrate outstanding women post-doctoral scientists, and forms part of the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science UK & Ireland Rising Talent Programme, which offers awards to promote, enhance and encourage the contribution of women pursuing their scientific research careers in the UK or Ireland.

Dr Swidah, a postdoctoral researcher at the 91ֱ�� Institute of Biotechnology, was one of five winners at the award at a ceremony at the House of Commons in London on Monday, 18 March.

Other winners were awarded in the categories of engineering, life sciences, mathematics and computing and physical science.

Reem said: “I am honoured to announce that I have been awarded the prestigious L'Oréal UNESCO Award for Women in Science in the category of Sustainable Development.  

“These awards are vital for supporting and celebrating women in science, offering recognition and inspiration. It provides financial research support, fosters networking and collaboration among recipients, and contributes to reducing gender disparities in STEM fields. By highlighting the achievements of women scientists, the award inspires future generations and advocates for gender equality in science.

“Programs like L'Oréal UNESCO  for women in science are critically important, providing vital recognition and support for women scientists while challenging prevailing stereotypes and biases.  Believe in yourself, defy stereotypes, continuously enhance your professional skills, and persist in pursuing your dreams. If opportunities don't come your way, create your own path. Seek mentors, embrace learning, take risks, step out of your comfort zone, and surround yourself with supportive peers. Remember, diversity in STEM drives progress and innovation.

“This award will enable me to balance motherhood and research while gaining the necessary support to make a meaningful impact in my field.”

Reem received a £25,000 grant that is fully flexible and tenable at any UK or Irish university or research institute to support 12 months of research. Her work currently focuses on the genome minimization project (part of the Sc3.0 project initiative), focusing on genome minimization within the synthetic yeast strain (Sc2.0).

Reem was selected for the award for her drive and ambition to leverage her skills in synthetic biology to address global challenges and her work to harness the exceptional evolutionary abilities of synthetic yeast strains to develop innovative and cost-effective technologies to produce biofuels.

She believes that these advancements hold the potential to combat climate change and play a pivotal role in achieving the ambitious goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050, a key strategic objective of The University of Manchester.

She added: “This award will enhance childcare support for my baby and will afford me the time and financial resources to develop my professional skills. I intend to engage in one-to-one career coaching programs and leadership training, which will help me unlock my full potential and excel in my role, which I currently cannot do.

“The grant will also enable me to attend international conferences, where I can engage with scientists and stay updated on global challenges and solutions and it will help me to enhance my research independence by using the grant to purchase small equipment and to conduct essential experiments to boost my research objectives.”

The Women in Science National Rising Talents  is run in partnership between L’Oréal UK and Ireland, the UK National Commission for UNESCO and the Irish National Commission for UNESCO, with the support of the Royal Society.

Thierry Cheval, L'Oréal UK and Ireland, Managing Director said: “As a company founded by a scientist over 100 years ago, L’Oréal, together with UNESCO, is committed to driving gender equality in STEM and recognising the exceptional work of female scientists who are vitally contributing to solving the challenges of tomorrow.

“Congratulations to this year’s Fellows who are a true inspiration for generations to come.”

Professor Anne Anderson, Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO's Board of Directors, added: “Congratulations to the 2024 Rising Talents. As we stand at a pivotal moment in time for scientific advancement, UNESCO continues to highlight the importance of true gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the vital role women play in a more equitable scientific society.

“The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO is proud to support these young women in STEM from the UK & Ireland and celebrate their achievements as researchers paving the way for a brighter global future.”

The Sustainable Commodity Chemicals through Enzyme Engineering and Design (SuCCEED) project will look to find new ways of manufacturing the chemicals needed for many every-day products through industrial biotechnology routes. By doing this, it will help the chemical manufacturing industry move away from fossil-based feedstocks and reduce their carbon footprint. 

Bio-based manufacturing routes are not currently widespread as they are difficult to scale up and don’t operate at the profit margins required for commodity chemicals. This poses a barrier to moving the chemicals industry away from petrochemicals and creating a greener industry. 

To help address this, the Prosperity Partnerships bring together industry and academia to find workable solutions to industry-based problems. The 91ֱ�� Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) and Shell have assembled an interdisciplinary team, led by , of biochemists, protein engineers, synthetic biologists, chemists, and chemical engineers to create a proof-of-principle, scalable, biorefinery. 

If successful, this 5-year project could help reshape the chemicals industry and support the UK delivering on its clean growth strategy.

Jeremy Shears, Chief Scientist for Biosciences at Shell said: “Shell aims to transition to a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 and our work with the 91ֱ�� Institute of Biotechnology is important to unlock a more commercial route to sustainably produced chemicals. If we can demonstrate an effective route to bio-production, we hope this will be the catalyst for industrial change across the sector.”

Science, Research and Innovation Minister, Andrew Griffith, said:

“Our new bioscience prosperity partnerships are a valuable opportunity for government, business and academia to come together and help unleash world-class, pioneering discoveries across the UK while growing our local economies.

“More than £17m of Government funding is backing vital projects including work in Belfast to unearth life-saving drugs, in 91ֱ�� to improve skin health research and in Cambridge to tackle a major source of global pollution – enhancing the health and wellbeing of people across our country and beyond.”

Dr Lee Beniston FRSB, Associate Director for Industry Partnerships and Collaborative R&D at BBSRC, said:

“The inaugural round of the BBSRC prosperity partnerships programme has been a huge success. Led by BBSRC, with investment from our colleagues at MRC and EPSRC, we will invest more than £17 million in ten projects.

“This investment will support outstanding, long-term collaborative partnerships between businesses and academic researchers across the UK. Through the BBSRC prosperity partnerships programme, the businesses involved are investing over £21 million into research and development.

“The projects supported will deliver on UK ambitions for private sector investment in research and innovation as outlined in the Science and Technology Framework, helping to drive economic growth and societal impact through key bioscience and biotechnology sectors and industries.”

Industrial biotechnology uses nature’s own processes to produce value-added products, it is currently used to produce high-value chemicals such as pharmaceuticals. Enzymes and bacteria are the staple workhorses of biocatalysis – a process that speeds up chemical reactions – and can produce target chemicals by using anything from biomass to anthropogenic waste as a feedstock. Industrial biotechnology holds huge potential for creating a sustainable manufacturing environment and supporting the world’s transition to net zero.

The University was also successful in securing a second Prosperity Partnership with Boots, and co-leading a third with University College London.

Fuels such as this could be a way to bridge the gap between petrochemical derived fuels and cleaner energy sources. In industries such as aviation and shipping, where electrically powered vessels are currently impractical, advanced synthetic fuels offer a more sustainable alternative.

While not yet developed at an industrial scale, the team behind this advancement, which included colleagues from the Chemistry Department at The University of Manchester, were able to produce 15 litres of synthetic kerosene, enough to power a 4-meter drone for 20 minutes. Additionally, the process does not require any large-scale infrastructure and so can be made anywhere. This makes it an appealing prospect for companies and other stakeholders, including the RAF, as it could be rolled out across supply chains around the world.

With net zero and carbon emissions targets at the top of the global agenda, synthetic fuels will have a key part to play in countries achieving these goals. The RAF recently committed to finding more sustainable alternatives to fossil-derived aviation fuels, and with support from companies like C3 BIOTECH, they are one step closer to this. Eventually, similar fuel technologies will be available for commercial, as well as military applications which will further help to reduce the world’s carbon emissions.