The EIC identifies biotechnology for its potential to contribute to European competitiveness
This report aims to provide an overview of the most promising emerging developments to serve as a reference for Europe's priorities and align with the EU's innovation policy.

The European Innovation Council has published its "2024 Tech Report", a document that highlights emerging technologies and innovations with significant potential to advance our future, developed by companies funded by or aspiring to win EIC support since 2018.
The report identifies 34 technologies, including eight in the biotechnology field:
Green Biotechnology
- Plant-based biofabrication and metabolic reprogramming for climate-smart agriculture
Impact in the coming years: Advances in understanding this dynamic process open new possibilities for generating stress-resistant crops while preserving yields and food security. Combined with plant-based biofabrication, this approach could enable cost-effective, scalable, biosecure, and environmentally sustainable production of proteins, enzymes, biopharmaceuticals, and other ingredients.
- Triparental breeding for resilient agriculture
Impact in the coming years: Triparental breeding offers a solution by developing plants with enhanced traits, better responses to stress factors like drought, pest resistance, and diseases, while producing high-yield crops better adapted to challenging environments. This contributes to global agricultural sustainability and food supply chain stability.
- Next-generation biohybrid sensors for precision agriculture
Impact in the coming years: Large-scale use of plant-derived biosensors could positively impact food safety, human and animal nutrition, soil health, water management, decarbonization, climate resilience, and biodiversity.
Health Biotechnology
- Metabolomics to uncover new disease mechanisms and targets
Impact in the coming years: Incorporating metabolomics into current healthcare practices could revolutionize disease diagnosis. It may become essential for diagnosing metabolic disorders or stratifying patients based on their "metabolic status," improving targeted therapies.
- In situ bioprinting for internal tissue regeneration
Impact in the coming years: In situ bioprinting could transform regenerative medicine over the next decade, enabling faster, more personalized, and minimally invasive treatments for complex tissue injuries and defects.
- Targeted protein degradation in drug development
Impact in the coming years: Selective protein degradation addresses unmet medical needs and can drive breakthroughs in disease areas where conventional drugs have failed. Protein degraders offer the potential for increased potency, selectivity, and therapeutic safety.
- 3D and 4D bioprinting for personalized wound treatment solutions
Impact in the coming years: Over the next decade, 3D and 4D bioprinting technologies could significantly revolutionize wound care, improving outcomes through personalized treatments for chronic wounds.
Digital, Industry, and Space Biotechnology
- Low-impact, bio-based materials for sustainable electronics
Impact in the coming years: Adopting bio-based and biodegradable materials in electronics could yield substantial environmental benefits by reducing the industry's greenhouse gas emissions and electronic waste. This shift may also drive innovation in recycling processes, enhancing the recovery and reuse of electronic components.
This report aims to provide an overview of the most promising emerging developments to guide Europe's priorities and align with the EU's innovation policy. Additionally, it seeks to inform and inspire European innovation ecosystems, including academia, industry, markets, venture capital, public investment bodies, and policymakers at regional, national, and EU levels.
More information here.