From Policy to Practice Actionable Recommendations for a Commercial Bioeconomy 2025

Recommendation 14 Investing in innovation ecosystem networks What if networks were established across technology hubs to build ecosystems of innovation that opened doors and fast-tracked local innovations into scalable global solutions? While additional financing is still needed to expand government-established pilot and commercial manufacturing capacity, some governments have made significant progress over the past decade in building out such infrastructure (Box 8). These facilities not only help alleviate the persistent shortage of capacity, which is often oversubscribed, but also serve as critical training grounds for workforce development and reskilling. Description Investing in innovation ecosystem networks will enhance national competitiveness and expand access to pilot and commercial-scale infrastructure globally, while also serving as key hubs for education and workforce training. Example South Korea’s Bio-Great Transformation Strategy seeks to integrate 20 bioclusters nationwide, enabling collaboration and infrastructure sharing.63Recommendation 14Bolstering bioindustrial manufacturing infrastructure: BioMADE’s $432 million investment BOX 8 While some governments have invested in scaling infrastructure, many countries lack access to pilot and commercial-scale facilities. In these regions, building such infrastructure locally can be impractical or economically unfeasible. Establishing a coordinated network of innovation ecosystems, across existing pilot and scaling facilities, with a pronounced focus on expanding access, will provide critical capabilities and equipment to underserved areas while bolstering the individual capabilities and offerings of each facility. This approach offers a practical solution for both governments and bioscience ventures, and simultaneously supports workforce development and scaling of commercial bio-innovation.Building networked access across technology hubs to establish an interconnected innovation ecosystem would not only provide ample training grounds for bioeconomy education and reskilling, but would also support broader collaboration and knowledge sharing while democratizing innovation across regions. Through connecting entrepreneurs, students, researchers, policy-makers and investors, these hubs would create a robust ecosystem that supports start-ups and academic institutions with additional resources, mentorship and technical expertise while expanding access across this powerful network. South Korea’s Bio-Great Transformation Strategy is a nationwide initiative aimed at enhancing the country’s biotechnology sector by integrating approximately 20 existing bioclusters into a cohesive network, thereby forming an interconnected innovation ecosystem at the national level. In the US, the BioIndustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE) funds projects that support innovation and scale-up using a combination of federal funding and non-federal cost share.59 Recent investments of over $200 million from the US Department of Defense and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will support the development of pilot- to demonstration-scale bioindustrial manufacturing infrastructure. These multi-user sites in California and Minnesota will form part of a network that allows companies to transition their products from laboratory to commercial production, securing supply chains and enhancing national competitiveness for the US bioeconomy.60,61,62 29 From Policy to Practice: Actionable Recommendations for a Commercial Bioeconomy