The Global Center for Biofoundry Applications (GCBA) is an international initiative uniting seven leading biofoundries across five countries to develop global standards and metrics for synthetic biology. Our goal is to make genetic design predictable, reproducible, and scalable, enabling breakthroughs in biotechnology to tackle global challenges such as climate change, sustainable manufacturing, and advanced bioproduction.
By harmonizing data formats, workflows, and regulatory frameworks, GCBA will enable seamless data sharing and interoperability across biofoundries. Using automated DNA assembly and strain engineering workflows as testbeds, we will benchmark and refine standards to support applications in food and alternative proteins, sustainable chemicals, fuels, and materials.
Beyond technical innovation, GCBA will foster international collaboration on governance, education, and workforce development. Programs such as the Global Biofoundries Forum, public exhibitions, industry partnerships, and training initiatives (including MOOCs and exchange programs) will cultivate a new generation of globally connected scientists skilled in AI, automation, and synthetic biology.
Together, we aim to build the foundation for a more standardized, efficient, and innovation-driven global bioeconomy.
The GCBA is funded by NSF cooperative agreement DBI-2435374.
Partner Institutions
NSF iBioFoundry
Agile BioFoundry
Korea National Biofoundry
The London Biofoundry
NIST Living Measurement Systems Foundry
Kobe BioFoundry
FinBioFAB
EBRC
Arizona State University
Contact us
Join our mailing list to get updates about GCBA activities.
For all other comments, feedback, and questions, please send an email to contact@ibiofoundry.illinois.edu.
We are located in the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Address
1206 West Gregory Drive | MC-195
Urbana, IL 61801 (map)
Email
iBioFoundry: contact@ibiofoundry.illinois.edu
IGB: info-igb@illinois.edu
