History

To enable global coordination of these efforts, 15 non-commercial biofoundries from four continents gathered in London in June 2018 to discuss the formation of a Global Biofoundry Alliance (GBA) that would enable the collective to share experiences and resources and work together to overcome shared challenges and unmet scientific and engineering needs. Several operational challenges reverberated through the June meeting. Participants frequently expressed concerns over sustainable biofoundry growth and development, commenting on the high costs of retaining staff, maintaining infrastructure, and replacing equipment at a predictable rate. Small user bases and a limited awareness of biofoundry capabilities among potential users currently limit the revenue streams that could eventually offset these expenditures. High experimental costs are also a significant barrier for the academic community and indicate that an extended period of public investment will be necessary to enable the benefits of biofoundries to impact the broader research community.The GBA was formally launched on 9th May, 2019 in Kobe, Japan, during a meeting of the Founding Members. The GBA has agreed to a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding, which does not establish any legal rights or obligations, but is a voluntary arrangement dependent upon goodwill and cooperation. Signing parties are research institutions, research funding agencies, or other entities that operate non-commercial biofoundries, as well as other organizations that actively support public-funded biofoundries. The parties have non-overlapping missions with for-profit entities.