Pathways to Bioeconomy and Bioconvergence Perspectives from Serbia and Israel 2025

Spotlight on bioconvergence in Israel2 Israel positions bioconvergence as a national growth strategy, harnessing deep-tech capabilities to address global cross-sector challenges. 2.1 Bioconvergence acceleration Breakthroughs in life sciences, combined with rapid advances in engineering, miniaturization, computation and AI, are fuelling a new wave of interdisciplinary innovation known as the bioconvergence revolution.61 According to McKinsey & Company,62 up to 60% of the physical inputs into the global economy could be biologically produced within the next two decades – generating an estimated $4 trillion in annual direct economic impact. In 2018, the Israel Innovation Authority, Israel’s independent public innovation agency, officially identified the term bioconvergence to describe the integration of biological sciences with engineering, computational technologies and software.63 Recognized as a strategic priority, bioconvergence is now considered a cornerstone of Israel’s technological and economic growth. Crucially, the impact of bioconvergence extends well beyond healthcare. As highlighted in Figure 6, its applications span agriculture, food, energy, environment and other areas,64 showcasing its role in addressing complex global challenges through the fusion of disciplines and the creation of scalable, cross-sector solutions. Bioconvergence applications FIGURE 6 Bioconvergence applications AgricultureHealth Food Environment BioconstructionEnergyBiomanufacturing – Alternative proteins – Bio-print food – Bio-safety for food security – Monitor/engineer bio-ecosystems– AI drug discovery – Biocomputing – Lab/organ-on-a-chip – Bioprinting and RegenMed – Nano drug delivery – Biosensors – Pathogen resistance – Precision agriculture– Bioelectric sensors – Waste treatment – Environment-friendly substances – Carbon dioxide (CO2) capturing – Biofuels – Energy bio-storage – Bio-building materials – Eco-friendly – Self healing – Oxygen generating/ CO2 capturing– SynBio – Protein – Bioplastics – Novel substances Source: Israel Innovation Authority. (2025). Internal presentation. Pathways to Bioeconomy and Bioconvergence 18