SynBioNL

What SynBioNL does

SynBioNL (legal name: Synthetic Biology Association of the Netherlands) is a Dutch non-profit association founded in 2021 that operates as a community platform for the national synthetic biology ecosystem. Its stated mission is to advance relationships between academia, industry, government, and the general public across all organizational levels, from students to policymakers. The organization does not develop proprietary technology products; instead, it functions as a coordinating layer connecting 21+ affiliated research laboratories across TU Delft, University of Groningen, Leiden University, Wageningen University, Utrecht University, Radboud University, Maastricht University, and the Westerdong Fungal Biodiversity Institute.

The organization's core activities are community programming: an annual flagship conference rotated across Dutch universities (Leiden 2023, Wageningen 2024, Utrecht 2025), the Bench TALKS podcast featuring iGEM team projects, blog content, and an email newsletter. It also produces formal outputs, including a published perspective article on the Dutch synthetic biology landscape in Biotechnology Notes. Strategic partners include the Center for Living Technology (EWUU), the national BaSyC synthetic cell consortium, EuSynBioS, GASB, and sponsors such as NWO, Open Science NL, and BaseClear.

The business model is non-commercial and association-based. Revenue (which is not publicly quantified) is generated through event sponsorships and in-kind venue support from host universities, with no disclosed membership fee schedule. Governance is via a volunteer executive board of nine researchers and postdocs and an advisory board of academics from major Dutch institutions. The organization has no parent company, no external investment, no commercial product line, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

SynBioNL

Legal name

Synthetic Biology Association of the Netherlands

Website

https://synbionl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SynBioNL is the Dutch non-profit association for synthetic biology, convening academic researchers, iGEM teams, industry, and policymakers across the Netherlands through annual conferences, a podcast, and a directory of 21+ affiliated university labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Association and Community Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Synthetic biology association
• Biotech community platform
• Scientific networking events
• Academic research collaboration
• IGEM community support

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership contributions: SynBioNL seeks enthusiastic members from the synthetic biology community in the Netherlands to join and support the association's activities. No explicit membership fee structure was found in the sources.
2. Event sponsorship: The organization secures sponsors and partners for annual events. Partners and sponsors include organizations such as Living Technologies (EWUU), and various biotechnology companies and industry partners that support events and activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SynBioNL is a non-profit association that operates as a community platform for the Dutch synthetic biology ecosystem. It organizes annual in-person conferences, produces the Bench TALKS podcast, publishes blog content and perspective articles, and maintains a directory of 21+ affiliated labs to connect academia, industry, government, and the public across the Netherlands.

Product overview

SynBioNL is a non-profit association (the Synthetic Biology Association of the Netherlands) that serves as a community platform to advance relationships between stakeholders (academia, industry, government, and general public) within the synthetic biology community. The organization does not offer commercial products or services; instead, it facilitates networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration through events, a podcast, blog publications, and connections to synthetic biology research labs across the Netherlands. The organization publishes research on the Dutch synthetic biology landscape and organizes annual events (2023, 2024, 2025) bringing together researchers and industry professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bench TALKS Podcast Recurring podcast hosted by SynBioNL executive members featuring interviews with iGEM team members from Dutch universities about their innovative synthetic biology projects. Available on Spotify.
• SynBioNL Annual Conference 2023 (Expanding Horizons) Full-day in-person annual conference held at Institute of Biology Leiden featuring expert talks, panel discussions, networking sessions, and flash talks on synthetic biology. Targeted at the Dutch synthetic biology community.
• SynBioNL Annual Conference 2024 Full-day in-person annual conference held at the Orion building, Wageningen campus, focused on collaboration between academia, society, and industry in synthetic biology.
• SynBioNL Annual Conference 2025 (Out of the Ordinary: Thinking outside the SynBio toolbox) Full-day in-person annual conference at Utrecht University exploring synthetic biology frontiers at disciplinary intersections, featuring expert talks, interactive discussions, and workshops on ethics, regulatory gaps, and societal implications.
• SynBioNL Community Membership Open membership in the Synthetic Biology Association of the Netherlands for synthetic biology enthusiasts based in the Netherlands, providing access to events, networking, and community updates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Published perspective article on synthetic biology landscape in the Netherlands

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Center for Living Technology (CLT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLT is part of the EWUU alliance and focuses on engineering cells and communities. Dr. Sowmya Shreedhar serves as coordinator. CLT sponsors SynBioNL events and is a key collaborative partner in the synthetic biology ecosystem.
• BaSyC (Building a Synthetic Cell consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational NWO consortium focused on building a synthetic cell. Representatives participate in SynBioNL events and sessions. Multiple SynBioNL researchers and advisors are involved in BaSyC activities.
• iGEM CommunitycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSynBioNL actively engages with iGEM teams across the Netherlands. Executive members host the Bench TALKS podcast featuring iGEM members. SynBioNL presents at iGEM Jamboree events and supports team coordination.
• Institute of Biology LeidenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for SynBioNL 2023 event at Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden. Provides facilities and academic credibility for the event.
• BaseClearminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechnology company whose Chief Scientific Officer Alex van Belkum participated in SynBioNL 2023 event panel. Presented at Experts meeting on Fungal Production Strains where SynBioNL was introduced.
• Utrecht UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for SynBioNL 2025 annual event. The event will be held at the Marinus Ruppert building, Utrecht University.
• Wageningen UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost venue for SynBioNL 2024 event at Orion building, Wageningen campus. Multiple executive board members are affiliated with WUR.
• EuSynBioS (European Synthetic Biology Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean-level synthetic biology society. Sonia Mecacci from EuSynBioS is a speaker at SynBioNL 2025 event, representing broader European synthetic biology community.
• GASB (German Association for Synthetic Biology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman national synthetic biology association. Florian Haensel from GASB is a speaker at SynBioNL 2025 event, representing international collaboration.
• Rathenau InstituutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch research institute for technology assessment. A researcher from Rathenau participated in SynBioNL's first online meeting, contributing to public discourse on synthetic biology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• iGEM Foundation: iGEM is the global synthetic biology community and student competition that SynBioNL actively supports and hosts podcast content around. Both organizations are community- and education-led, with overlapping student, academic, and industry constituencies.
• BioBricks Foundation: The BioBricks Foundation is a public-benefit organization supporting open-source and community-led synthetic biology. It mirrors SynBioNL's mission of fostering collaboration, open standards, and responsible innovation within the SynBio community, while operating at a global rather than national scope.
• European Synthetic Biology Society (EuSynBioS): EuSynBioS is the European-level synthetic biology community organization that convenes researchers, students, and industry across EU member states. SynBioNL already coordinates with EuSynBioS, with EuSynBioS speakers at SynBioNL's 2025 event, making it the most direct functional peer at a larger geographic scope.
• Gemeinnützige Arbeitsgemeinschaft Synthetische Biologie (GASB): GASB is the German national synthetic biology association and the closest analog to SynBioNL by mission and structure. Both organizations pursue multi-stakeholder engagement (academia, industry, public, policy) within national borders, and GASB representatives already participate in SynBioNL events.
• SynBio LEAP: SynBio LEAP is a US-based leadership accelerator for emerging synthetic biology leaders. It shares SynBioNL's mission of building durable cross-stakeholder SynBio community capacity, including leadership pipelines for early-stage researchers and policy engagement.

Broad incumbents

• SynBioBeta: SynBioBeta is the largest commercial-facing synthetic biology industry network and conference organizer globally. It overlaps with SynBioNL's industry-engagement function but operates at much larger scale and with a commercial rather than association-driven model.

Regional players

• Engineering Biology (UK): Engineering Biology is the UK's national community for synthetic biology research and application, with similar academic, industry, and policy stakeholder engagement goals. It serves as a comparable national-scale umbrella organization in a different geography.
• Synthetic Biology Australasia (SBAS): SBAS is the Australia/New Zealand regional synthetic biology association and a direct national-scope analog to SynBioNL. It pursues the same multi-stakeholder convening model across academia, industry, and government in its own geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/synbionl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SynBioNL