If your industrial biotechnology research team doesn’t already include a Scot, you might consider adding one. It could mean up to £200,000 in funding. That’s the offer that Scotland’s Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) will announce this week at the BIO World Congress in San Diego.Established in 2014 to proactively develop innovations in industrial biotechnology, IBioIC wants to encourage non-Scottish companies to engage Scottish academics in their research efforts. So here’s their offer: “bring onto your project a research team that’s affiliated with any of 14 Scottish universities or academic research centers and we’ll fund that team’s participation up to a total £200,000, so long as the funding makes up 50 percent of total project cost or less.”

IBioIC is prepared to invest £1 million in this “synthetic biology accelerator.

And they’ll be glad to help you identify Scottish researchers who can contribute to your project.To qualify, projects must demonstrate a “defined market need and a commercial opportunity within the synthetic biology sector.” All four “colors” of industrial biotechnology are eligible: healthcare, industrial, environmental, and marine.“This is an exciting program for IBioIC that allows us to showcase our indigenous academic talent in synthetic biology,” says Roger Kilburn, IBioIC Chief Executive Officer. “Our expectation is this accelerator program will lead to enhanced economic, social or reputation benefits for Scotland.”The deadline for applications is August 20. Effective Wednesday, an application form will be available in the “Project and Funding” section of the IBioIC website.