Research No Federal Activity
Public Funding Review and Disclosure
Undertake a coordinated evaluation of current public funding for synthetic biology activities, including funding for research on techniques for risk assessment and risk reduction, and for the study of ethical and social issues raised by synthetic biology.
Recommendation
Through a central body such as the Executive Office of the President, the federal government should undertake a coordinated evaluation of current public funding for synthetic biology activities, including funding for research on techniques for risk assessment and risk reduction, and for the study of ethical and social issues raised by synthetic biology. This review should be completed within 18 months and the results made public.
Activities
Federal
- Executive Office of the President – No activities identified.
Non-Federal
- The Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center published a 2010 research brief, Trends in Synthetic Biology Research Funding in the United States and Europe, which found that the U.S. government has spent around $430 million on research related to synthetic biology since 2005, with the Department of Energy funding a majority of the research. Approximately 4 percent of the U.S. funding was spent to explore ethical, legal, and social implications of synthetic biology.
