SynbiCITE

What SynbiCITE does

SynbiCITE is a publicly-funded Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) established in 2013 and headquartered at Imperial College London's South Kensington campus, formally designated by the UK government as the National Industrial Translation Centre for Engineering Biology (synthetic biology). Its mandate is to accelerate the commercial exploitation of synthetic biology research and deliver economic benefit to the UK, executed through a combination of dedicated infrastructure, grant funding, venture investment, training, and industry programming.

The organization's technology core is the London Biofoundry, a facility offering DNA synthesis, strain engineering, and bioprocessing capabilities, supplemented by an Analytics & Metrology service line for scalable, standardized engineering biology. Around this infrastructure, SynbiCITE runs a multi-program portfolio: a two-stage Proof of Concept Programme (£50K PoC(a) and £250K PoC(b) grants), the SynBioVen (SBV) venture fund for net-zero economy companies (established 2022 via partnership with Imperial College), the membership-based Industry Club, the SynBio Business Basics training course, and the annual SynbiTECH conference, which drew over 400 delegates in 2024. The centre works with 27 active portfolio companies, has engaged 80 companies through its programs, and operates within a UK synthetic biology landscape of roughly 220 startups valued at approximately £1.2B.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. SynbiCITE has received £32M in cumulative public investment from UKRI (via EPSRC, BBSRC, and Innovate UK), plus a £3M Proof of Concept award in 2024. It generates no product or service revenue from customers; instead, it deploys public capital to support early-stage engineering biology ventures, supplemented by fees for training and Industry Club membership where applicable. Primary "customers" are synthetic biology startups and SMEs seeking infrastructure, funding, and commercialization support, with secondary beneficiaries including venture investors, academic researchers, policymakers, and established industry partners in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, materials, and energy. Leadership comprises CEO Dr Stephen Chambers and Co-Directors Professors Richard Kitney and Paul Freemont.

Name

SynbiCITE

Legal name

SynbiCITE

Website

https://synbicite.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SynbiCITE is a publicly-funded Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Imperial College London, designated as the UK's National Industrial Translation Centre for Engineering Biology. It supports synthetic biology startups via the London Biofoundry, Proof of Concept funding, training, and the annual SynbiTECH conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Biology Translation Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO), Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH)

Keywords

• Synthetic biology commercialization
• Engineering biology translation
• Biofoundry services
• Biotech startup support
• Synthetic biology funding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: SynbiCITE operates as a publicly-funded organization supported by grants from UK Research Councils including EPSRC, BBSRC, and Innovate UK. The organization does not generate commercial revenue from products or services; its operations are funded through public investment aimed at accelerating synthetic biology commercialization in the UK.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SynbiCITE is a publicly-funded Innovation and Knowledge Centre that accelerates the commercial translation of synthetic biology and engineering biology research. It provides eligible startups and SMEs with access to laboratory infrastructure (London Biofoundry, Analytics and Metrology facilities), Proof of Concept grant funding, mentorship, and investor networking. Its activities are anchored at Imperial College London and supported by grants from UK Research Councils (EPSRC, BBSRC) and Innovate UK.

Product overview

SynbiCITE is the UK's National Industrial Translation Centre for Engineering Biology, based at Imperial College London. It operates as a multi-programme ecosystem rather than a single product, offering facilities (London Biofoundry, Analytics and Metrology), funding programmes (Proof of Concept Programme, SynBioVen venture fund), training (SynBio Business Basics course), community networking (Industry Club), and an annual flagship conference (SynbiTECH). The centre's core mission is to accelerate and promote the commercial exploitation of synthetic biology research and engineering biology applications to deliver sustained and substantial benefits to the UK economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• London Biofoundry: The London Biofoundry partners with academics and industry to design and characterise synthetic DNA organisms.
• SynbiTECH
• SynBioVen
• SynBio Business Basics
• Proof of Concept Programme
• Industry Club
• Analytics and Metrology

Products and services

• London Biofoundry

Quantifiable outcome

• £1.3B combined market capitalization of portfolio companies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Gen9coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Partnership established in 2016 to provide SynbiCITE portfolio companies with access to Gen9's DNA synthesis technology. This collaboration enables startups to access high-quality synthetic DNA for research and development activities without requiring individual commercial agreements.
• Imperial College LondonflagshipOthersImperial College London serves as SynbiCITE's host institution, providing the organizational backbone, academic expertise, and physical infrastructure including the Imperial College Incubator and London Biofoundry facilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Process Innovation (CPI): UK Catapult delivering applied R&D and commercial translation for advanced processes, including biologics and industrial biotech; operates the same Catapult/IKC model as SynbiCITE with shared Innovate UK/UKRI funding sources and similar mandate of bridging research-to-market.
• Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult: UK Catapult focused on advancing cell and gene therapy manufacturing and commercialisation; structurally analogous to SynbiCITE as a government-funded innovation centre providing infrastructure, translational expertise, and ecosystem support for UK life-science ventures.
• Medicines Discovery Catapult: UK Catapult supporting drug-discovery SMEs with translational capabilities, infrastructure, and investor connections; closely comparable to SynbiCITE in operating model, public funding mix, and SME/portfolio engagement focus within life sciences.
• Edinburgh BioFoundry: University-based biofoundry at the University of Edinburgh providing DNA assembly, automation, and strain engineering services; directly comparable as a competing UK synthetic biology infrastructure asset targeting the same portfolio of startups and academic users.

Broad incumbents

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Largest commercial synthetic biology platform operating at global scale; provides biofoundry-style services and works with founders in the same customer segment as SynbiCITE's portfolio, but as a much broader, fully commercial incumbent.

Emerging players

• LabGenius: AI-driven protein engineering startup that is itself a SynbiCITE portfolio company; offers a glimpse into the kind of next-generation biofoundry-as-a-service competitor that may eventually challenge SynbiCITE's infrastructure value proposition.
• LabCentral: US-based biotech incubator/launchpad providing shared lab infrastructure and support services to early-stage life-science ventures; operating model mirrors SynbiCITE's startup support programmes but serves a different geography.

Others

• Imperial College Innovations (Imperial Tech Transfer): Host institution's technology transfer and enterprise function at Imperial College London; provides overlapping tech-transfer capabilities and acts as a key partner, sharing access to university IP and academic founders feeding into SynbiCITE's ecosystem.
• Twist Bioscience: Provider of high-throughput DNA synthesis (successor to Gen9, with which SynbiCITE partnered in 2016); a key supplier/technology enabler for SynbiCITE's portfolio companies and the broader UK biofoundry ecosystem.
• Rainbow Seed Fund: Early-stage UK life-science investor and co-sponsor of SynbiCITE programmes (e.g., Bio-start competition with CustoMem); a capital partner that bridges SynbiCITE's PoC graduates into follow-on institutional funding rounds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/synbicite
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/synbicite

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SynbiCITE