The United Kingdom hosted more than 25 delegates from all ten ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat for an ASEAN-UK Regional Training and Workshop on Engineering Biology Chapter II from 18 to 20 March 2025. With ASEAN set to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2030, the workshop presented a strategic opportunity to align regulatory frameworks, technical standards, and innovation pathways between the UK and one of the world’s most dynamic economic regions.
The programme built on the learnings and engagement from the first chapter of the workshop held in Singapore in 2024, focusing on critical growth enablers through cross-pollination between ASEAN and UK expertise. Key areas of focus included technical standards and biometrology, responsible innovation frameworks, and commercialising engineering biology for success.
Alignment across these areas will create levers for accelerating engineering biology innovations into scalable innovations, unlocking economic potential while deploying market-ready solutions to benefit our communities.
UK Ambassador to ASEAN, Her Excellency Sarah Tiffin, said:
Engineering biology is a game-changer for economic growth and sustainable development. This workshop reaffirms the UK’s commitment as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner to building the technical and ethical foundations needed to foster a thriving bioeconomy across ASEAN regions.
The UK and ASEAN can excel together in this fast-growing field, driving responsible innovation that benefits businesses and communities alike. Our partnership is thriving, and this workshop is a testament to how we are shaping the future of science and technology together.
British High Commissioner to Singapore, His Excellency Nik Mehta, said:
The USD4 trillion global bioeconomy isn’t just a market opportunity—it’s our pathway to solving some of humanity’s most pressing challenges, from food security and climate resilience to healthcare innovation.
By aligning our approaches to technical standards, responsible innovation, and commercialisation pathways, we can create a powerful platform for businesses and researchers across both the UK and ASEAN to bring transformative products to market.
Senior Officer of Science and Technology Division, ASEAN Secretariat, Dr. Vanny Narita, said:
ASEAN and the UK reaffirm our commitment to engineering biology as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth. As a key pillar of the bioeconomy, it drives innovation in healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing. The ASEAN bioeconomy employs over 8% of the global workforce and generates over US$2.3 trillion annually, contributing to a global bioeconomy expected to reach US$4 trillion by 2040. Integrating engineering biology into the ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation 2026-2035 will accelerate biotechnology innovation and regional sustainability.
This workshop reaffirms the UK’s dedication to deepening its scientific and technological ties with ASEAN, building on the strong foundation established since becoming an ASEAN dialogue partner.
