Synthetic Biology is a rapidly growing field of science that has the potential to transform several areas of high socio-economic relevance such as healthcare, agriculture, environment, novel materials, energy, clean water and manufacturing. The synthetic biology market is estimated to reach $38.7 billion, globally by 2020.

Therefore it is important for the state and the country to develop expertise and an ecosystem in this area to catalyze the growth of the synthetic-biology industry. With this in mind, the Govt. of Karnataka provided funding to IBAB to establish a Synthetic Biology Centre with the following broad objectives:

  1. The creation of tools and technologies that enable translational research in areas of high socio-economic impact such as food, fuel, health and environment.
  2. Translational research to develop products and technologies.
  3. The creation of a pool of manpower skilled in synthetic biology through education and training programmes