Algae in a bioreactor

Bioeconomy
Meeting demands for sustainable, profitable and equitable production of food, fibre, fuel and pharmaceuticals through innovations that harness the use of non-traditional production systems that are energy and resource efficient.

The agrifood sector, like other industry areas, is experiencing a rapid technological shift. A range of emerging technologies are creating the potential to improve the sector’s sustainability and climate resilience, lower its carbon footprint and meet the changing demands of consumers. The shift includes technological innovations in how food, fibre, fuel, pharmaceuticals and other goods are produced – innovations that underpin the emerging global bioeconomy.

Applications of the bioeconomy – both within and beyond the agrifood sector – include energy- and resource-efficient methods of producing high-value alternative proteins, new ingredients, and agricultural products; manufacturing vaccines using plants; new ways to convert food waste into high value products; reducing plastic pollution through the production of plastic-degrading enzymes; and, nature-inspired filtration systems that enable selective removal of high value molecules from industrial waste streams. 

The bioeconomy provides an exciting opportunity to reimagine where, how and why a range of essential goods are produced in the face of headwinds created rapidly changing climates, geopolitical threats and shifting demands of consumers.

Key to the bioeconomy is the need for ongoing technological developments in gene editing, synthetic biology and cell culture, and with advances in the use of genetically modified microorganisms and plant-based molecular farming approaches to bring down the costs of production. Ready access to raw materials such as sugars, agricultural waste or gases that genetically engineered microorganisms can consume for energy, is also critical.

Crucially, technological advances in the bioeconomy need to be coupled with advances in policy and regulatory frameworks designed to address safety, environmental and societal concerns.  The attitudes of consumers – including social license and cultural preferences - to new products also need to be considered.

Investment opportunities

To address these challenges, the bioeconomy sector will need to invest in developing:

  • pilot programs to support new initiatives that can later be scaled
  • new strains/solve technical issues (such as high production/increased purification capacity in plant molecular farming; improved protocols for alternative meat production, etc.)
  • Infrastructure needed to support scale up
  • Regulations and guidelines that are future-proof
  • An understanding of public perception of the technology
  • Waste systems that make bioeconomy truly sustainable

Focus areas

The Bioeconomy theme will be delivered using a user-centric co-design approach, by engaging with government, industry and community stakeholders. It will focus on translating Australian National University capability to impact in areas including:

  • technical expertise to develop new products and improve production methods
  • plant molecular farming – optimisation of recombinant protein expression
  • high-throughput methods for screening microorganisms, plants and/or raw materials
  • development of systems to efficiently store/deliver raw materials
  • guidelines and policy options to support the sector
  • analysis of public attitudes (e.g. cultural influences and social license requirements)
  • understanding of the environmental, regulatory and economic impacts of the bioeconomy.

ANU capabilities and expertise

ANU has world-leading research, technical capability and infrastructure to help develop the bioeconomy for the agrifood sector, both nationally and internationally. This includes state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure that are needed, such as:

ANU has academic expertise in: