President Biden signs executive order for National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative

In Massachusetts, President Biden gave his “Cancer Moonshot” speech on the 60th anniversary of JFK’s moonshot speech at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston and as part of it signed an Executive Order to launch a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative.

On Wednesday, the White House will host a summit on the bioeconomy and biomanufacturing where it will announce new investments and resources across a wide range of agencies that will allow the United States to harness the full potential of biotechnology and biomanufacturing.

The investments, programs, and partnerships in this initiative will advance research and development in engineering biology and biomanufacturing, expand and strengthen domestic biomanufacturing capacity and resilient supply chains.  It will help bring bioproducts to market that will help support American farmers and reduce risk through biosecurity innovation, as well as enhance workforce training and education programs for the next generation of biotechnologists.

Beyond federal investments, the initiative takes on a series of actions to create more robust markets for bio-based products at home and globally to expand access to biotechnology and to translate research and development into vital products and services faster.

In addition to healthcare, the order aims to reduce the impact of climate change on America’s families and workers, including through replacing foreign petrochemicals with locally produced bio-based chemicals, using biofuels to cut greenhouse gas emissions, developing soil microbes and crops that remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.