The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, through its Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology and its Board on Life Sciences, will identify key gaps in knowledge, tools, techniques and systems needed to realize the potential for advanced manufacturing via biological systems, using manufacturing of chemicals as the case study. An ad hoc committee will develop a roadmap of necessary advances in basic science and engineering capabilities needed to realize advanced manufacturing of chemicals using biological systems. Working at the interface of synthetic chemistry, metabolic engineering, molecular biology, and synthetic biology, the committee will identify key technical goals for this next-generation chemical manufacturing, identify the knowledge gaps which must be filled to meet those goals, and targets and timelines for achieving them. It will also consider the skills necessary to accomplish the roadmap goals, and what training opportunities are required to produce the cadre of skilled scientists and engineers needed. While focused on industrial manufacturing of chemicals, it is anticipated that the roadmap challenges will advance tools and techniques that are also required for new developments in health, energy, and environmental applications.
