Recent advances in biotechnology (for example, quantum biotechnology) are positioned to fundamentally change our understanding of biology, and our ability to manipulate living organisms and their environments. Managing this in a responsible manner, however, will challenge existing regulatory frameworks.
By seeding research collaborations, this project proposed a pathway forward, with a key question being whether a universal regulatory approach is desirable, or whether each field of application presents unique challenges that must be differentially addressed.
This research presented a unique opportunity between UQ and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D), involved four staff from IIT-D travelling to UQ in 2023 to meet with UQ staff and academics, delivering a public seminar, participating in a roundtable as part of CPF's Policy Engagement Program, and progressing a collaboration that leads to a tangible output such as a grant application or publication. The kinds of collaborations that the project will seed directly correlated with three key research themes emerging from the UQ-India Engagement Strategy 2018-2-21 via an analysis of regulatory futures for agricultural and biomedical biotechnologies, and climate science.