Engineering biology involves designing, scaling and commercialising biology-derived products and services, and is already delivering transformative applications across the UK, from healthcare to chemicals and materials.

As these technologies develop and become more widely used, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is seeking to build and maintain an open, constructive dialogue with the public about expectations of engineering biology and its applications.

In partnership with Sciencewise, DSIT is delivering a UK-wide public dialogue to understand public perspectives and ensure that future policy and governance reflect public values, concerns and expectations. Public engagement is key to responsible innovation and to safely unlocking the economic and societal benefits of engineering biology while maintaining transparency and trust.

Project details

The engineering biology public dialogue will explore public perspectives on the opportunities, risks and wider implications of engineering biology. It has six key objectives:

• Identify and understand the public’s perspectives on the opportunities presented by engineering biology, any specific concerns, and how these could be addressed across five application areas: health, chemicals and materials, low-carbon fuels, agriculture and food, and waste and environment.
  
  
• Understand the factors that shape participants’ views and attitudes towards engineering biology. 
  
  
• Explore how perspectives vary across a diverse range of participants, including people with different lived experiences and those less likely to engage in discussions on engineering biology.
  
  
• Inform government policy, aspects of future governance principles, and wider public debate by providing well-rounded public perspectives on engineering biology and associated social and ethical concerns.
  
  
• Ensure well-integrated stakeholder engagement throughout the design, delivery and dissemination of the dialogue.

The dialogue will use a deliberative, mixed-method approach combining online and in-person engagement to maximise inclusivity, depth of discussion, and consistency of information. A total of 56 participants will be recruited from across all four UK nations to form a diverse and reflective “mini-public.” Recruitment will ensure variation across age, geography, socio-economic background, ethnicity, religion, disability, and attitudes towards science and technology.

Participants will be compensated for their time, with all travel and accommodation costs covered for in-person sessions to remove barriers to participation.

The dialogue will be delivered by Hopkins Van Mil, with independent evaluation conducted by Navigator Consulting in partnership with Graphic Science.

An Oversight Group will provide advice and oversight throughout the dialogue and reporting process, including representatives with engineering biology expertise from academia, industry bodies, civil society and charities.