Shaping the future of UK bioscience: BBSRC launches refreshed Forward Look

The UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has unveiled a bold vision to harness the power of bioscience with the launch of its updated Forward Look for UK Bioscience.

This refreshed framework sets out BBSRC’s ambition to deliver a healthy, sustainable and resilient future through the power of bioscience.

Developed through extensive engagement with researchers, innovators, businesses, policymakers and beyond, the new Forward Look highlights bioscience’s essential but sometimes unseen role – and the enormous impact it will have – in tackling some of the biggest challenges we face as a global society.

These include improving lifelong health, building more sustainable food systems and driving clean economic growth.

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said:

“Bioscience is one of the UK’s greatest strengths and a powerful force for change that underpins everything from the food we eat to the health of our planet. As the UK’s major public funder of bioscience research and innovation, BBSRC plays a unique and essential role in unlocking this potential.

“This Forward Look is more than a vision. It’s a rallying call. It sets out how, through discovery, innovation and strategic partnership, we will shape a future that is healthier, more sustainable and more resilient.

“Developed through deep engagement with our vibrant community, this is a bold, collaborative plan for the decade ahead. One that reflects both the ambition of UK bioscience and the leadership BBSRC provides in turning possibility into progress.”

The BBSRC Forward Look: The Power of Bioscience is structured around three core elements:

• Our vision: to harness the power of bioscience to deliver a healthy, sustainable and resilient future
• Our ambition: to deliver real-world impact in three interconnected areas – healthy people, animals and plants; sustainable agriculture and food systems; and a resilient bioeconomy.
• Our commitment: to create the right conditions for success by providing leadership and fostering collaborative working to ensure the people, infrastructure and systems needed for progress are in place.

Working hand in hand with national and international partners across the research and innovation ecosystem, BBSRC will:

• Apply innovation that delivers solutions to pressing global challenges like food insecurity, ageing populations and a changing climate
• Catalyse discovery through our support for world-class curiosity-driven and fundamental research
• Create and deploy transformative technologies such as engineering biology, advanced imaging and artificial intelligence to accelerate progress across bioscience and beyond.

Recognising the tremendous potential that can be unlocked when diverse expertise comes together, BBSRC is committed to strengthening interdisciplinary, cross-sector and global partnerships. This collaborative approach will foster a more dynamic, interconnected and inclusive research and innovation ecosystem, amplifying the power and reach of bioscience.

As part of this, BBSRC is committed to:

• Investing in a skilled, diverse and resilient workforce, across all career stages and roles
• Supporting accessible and sustainable research infrastructure, from world-leading labs to biological resources and campuses
• Facilitating the translation of bioscience into impact
• Strengthening collaboration across disciplines and sectors, both nationally and internationall