Halfway through the year but we’re just getting started. We’ve been receiving tonnes of research applications this past month which affirms that the SynBio future is bright! Whilst we’ve had our heads in the literature, we’ve also been building out our community and attending more conferences around the globe. Here are some of the highlights:
- Signing of the Imperial deal and minting of our first IP-NFT!
- What we learned at the ATG SynBio Spain Congress.
- The kick-off of TWO new working groups.
- Open Funding Call.
- Upcoming events.
- Community Spotlight featuring Joana L. Rodrigues.
I-See-NFT!
This month we finally signed the SRA with Imperial College London to fund Dr. Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro’s group to synthesise lipids using oleaginous yeast on an industrial scale. If you haven’t heard about the project, check out this interview with Rodrigo where he breaks down why the project is important and the potential positive impact it can have on the environment and climate change.
After the vote passed on Snapshot with 100% support from the community, we’re excited to get the project underway and begin developing that all important IP. Signing this deal is a huge milestone for the DAO and establishes that our innovation engine is up and running. In true extravagant style, we’ll be holding an online IP-NFT minting ceremony where Rodrigo will join us for another interview to talk about the project and what people can expect. Keep your eyes peeled on our socials for the upcoming announcement!
ATG SynBio Spain Congress in Barcelona
It’s hard not to smile when you’re at a conference where the venue overlooks the stunning beaches of Barcelona. Last weekend, Morgan headed off to Sunny Spain to present ValleyDAO at the first ATG SynBio Spain Congress, where he was met by community members Joana, Camila and Fran (pictured above).
As always, there were familiar faces but plenty of new ones too. It was really inspiring to see such passion and optimism from the young scientists in the room and we’re hopeful that communities like ATG will continue to help grow the SynBio ecosystem of Spain. However, a key insight was that Spain has a lot of work to do in lobbying governments to change their stance on technology transfer and spin-out creation. There is clearly a tremendous amount of talent, but if they want to keep it in-house, they’d better make spinouts from universities a more viable pathway - particularly outside of Catalonia.
New Growth Groups Launched!
This month, we officially launched two new Growth Groups to continue to grow the ValleyDAO ecosystem. The first of which is the Tokenomics GG, which is leveraging a systems approach to discover, design and deploy token-based incentives to keep the community alive. This goes hand-in-hand with Governance and seeks to ensure that ValleyDAO continues to provide a fair, efficient and collaborative environment for Synthetic Biology innovation. This month, we’ve been looking at our community and stakeholders under the microscope, conducting interviews to identify the motivations of each group and how we can build better bridges to align these incentives and accelerate the global bioeconomy!
We also launched to Product GG which is currently engaging with stakeholders inside and outside of the ValleyDAO community to identify new opportunities for value creation. Our community has a lot to give, so we’re working hard to identify how we can create the biggest impact and generate new tools/workflows for Scientists, Founders and Investors in the field of Synthetic Biology.
We’ll have more insights to share with you in the next growth update so make sure you’re subscribed to hear about what these new groups have been working on behind the scenes!
Open Funding Call
Are you a researcher working at the frontiers of Synthetic Biology? Do you have a million-dollar idea that would struggle to get funding through the legacy funding system? Want some seed funding to help develop that PoC you've been thinking about on your lunchbreak? Want to receive the support of a vibrant and diverse community of scientists, founders and KOLs to help translate your work into a successful business?
ValleyDAO is looking to support academic research projects with $50k-250k that have the potential to create widespread climate, food or environmental impact. If this is of interest to you or someone in your network, apply now by filling out the form.
There is no deadline, and the application takes just a few moments to complete. We're committed to helping scientists around the world create meaningful impact, so if you’ve been following our community progress and wondered how we might be able to support your work, get in touch with us today!
Upcoming Events
Science Spotlights with Dr Jenny Molloy
After a brief hiatus, we're back with another Science Spotlight. This time we'll be guested by Dr Jenny Molloy from the University of Cambridge for a discussion on her scientific journey and how she's been creating Open Source Tools for Science along with her colleagues at the Open Bioeconomy Lab. We're pumped to have her on as we've got a tonne of questions but come and join us for an extended Q&A to have your own questions asked.
This event is for seasoned scientists and research rookies alike, whatever your background, come and join us for a down-to-earth chat with one of the great female leaders of the field.
Voices of Change: Accelerating Africa's Bioeconomy for a Brighter Future
Join us for an interactive online forum where stakeholders including biologists, founders, policymakers, and key opinion leaders from Africa and worldwide will collaborate to support the research and creation of the Synthetic Biology Landscape Report. Together, we will explore new perspectives and chart a pathway for accelerating the development of Synthetic Biology innovation in the continent. This forum will feature keynotes, panel discussions, and immersive workshop sessions focused on mapping out the landscape. Don't miss this opportunity to shape the future of Synthetic Biology in Africa.
The forum will run in late August with the exact date to be announced soon. You can pre-register here to stay notified!
DeSci Workshop Paris
We’ll be hosting a Climate Synthetic Biology workshop in collaboration with the Foresight Institute in Paris this month. We’re planning to map out viable pathways to climate solutions using state-of-the-art tools such as Lateral.io and ChatGPT in the following areas:
- Decarbonizing Heavy Industries
- Biomanufacturing Alternatives
- Carbon Capture and Utilization
- Agricultural and Food Systems
- Renewable Energy Production
- Environmental Remediation and Conservation
- Sustainable Biotechnology and Materials
- Biosecurity, Ethics and Regulation
Space is limited so sign-up today to support the creation of this essential resource!
Community Spotlight
This month we’re giving the stage to Joana L. Rodrigues who joined the community not long ago. She’s been most active on the Dealflow and Incubation team and is often one of the first people to give her feedback on incoming project proposals - for which we’re always grateful! We often wonder where she finds the time considering she’s also an Invited Assistant Professor at the University of Minho (Portugal) and on the Steering Committee for the European SynBio Society (EUSynBioS).
"I have been working in many years in academia in synthetic biology and I often felt frustrated and powerless with its many bureaucracies and with the research funding model. Since I joined ValleyDAO I have the feeling that what I am doing really matters and that we can change the world for better step-by-step. ValleyDAO is full of amazing people and there is a very strong sense of community belonging that makes you feel at home."
She’s laser focused and we feel blessed to have her being so active in the community. If you haven’t had the chance to speak with her yet, we recommend that you do. She’s heavily involved in the European SynBio ecosystem and has a lot of great insights!
See you next time!
-The ValleyDAO Community
