European Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Synthetic Biology Accelerator Preparatory Phase

EU-IBISBA is a distributed research infrastructure concept that will deliver translational research and innovation services to the research community and industry alike. Its aim is to accelerate the movement of knowledge and early stage research results towards maturity and uptake for further development by industrial R&I. EU-IBISBA’s expertise is within the field of industrial biotechnology and focuses on the integrated development of bioprocesses, using a multidisciplinary approach and advanced technology such as synthetic biology. PREP-IBISBA intervenes just after the addition of EU-IBISBA on the ESFRI roadmap and as a follow-up to an ongoing H2020 INFRAIA starting community project entitled IBISBA 1.0.

The aim of PREP-IBISBA is to create the conditions to launch EU-IBISBA. It will deliver all the conceptual elements necessary to finalize the science and technology case and define the business model, establish a long range financial plan and identify alternative legal frameworks suitable to deliver EU-IBISBA. Supported by strong managerial procedures, numerous stakeholders consultations, communication and dissemination work and specific actions aimed at delivering e-tools, this work will provide the basis for commitment by stakeholders, particularly Member States, but also industry investors (through a public-private partnership). Overall, the work will lead to the creation of a legal entity, preferentially either an ERIC or another suitable legal instrument.

PREP-IBISBA will also prepare EU-IBISBA implementation by providing the opportunity for transition. Intervening after the creation of the legal entity, this involves the progressive initiation of EU-IBISBA business processes. Siting of EU-IBISBA will be decided, a skeleton Executive team put into place and preliminary governance deployed. The transition will allow dry running of some business processes and will ease EU-IBISBA towards full implementation.