Guidance

Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund

This fund supports innovative engineering biology sandboxes which aim to accelerate pro-innovation regulatory reform and encourage business innovation and investment.

From:
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Published
1 February 2024
Last updated
18 November 2025 — See all updates

Documents

Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund round 2: clarification questions (updated 9 July 2025)

HTML

Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund: statement of main terms (draft)

HTML

Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund application form (odt)

ODT, 158 KB

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Table template: project costs

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Details

Update: 18 November 2025

Application rounds

  • Round 1 closed on 19 April 2024
  • Round 2 closed on 18 July 2025

Sandboxes explainer

The concept of a ‘sandbox’ is defined by regulators in different ways, but all sandboxes facilitate extensive dialogue between industry and a regulator to inform regulatory actions that strike the right balance between facilitating innovation and mitigating risk.

A sandbox does not necessarily require legislative change or ‘relaxing’ regulations. Additionally, the outcome of a sandbox project should be uncertain as it is a research and development project.

If you require further information, please email engineeringbiology@dsit.gov.uk.

Updates to this page

Published 1 February 2024
Last updated 18 November 2025 show all updates

  1. Round 2 successful project announced.

  2. Clarification questions published.

  3. Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund clarification point published.

  4. Round 2 of the Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund is open for applications.

  5. Round 2 of the Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund will open in April 2025.

  6. Round 1 successful project announced.

  7. Draft statement of main terms published.

  8. Reference to the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement has been corrected to the Subsidy Control Act 2022 in the subsidy control section of the competition brief.

  9. Clarification questions published.

  10. First published.

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