Vienna-based SME providing responsible research, ethics analysis, and science communication services for European synthetic biology and biotechnology consortia.
Biofaction is a Vienna-based consultancy specializing in responsible research and innovation (RRI), science communication, and public engagement for synthetic biology and biotechnology projects. Rather than conducting wet-lab research themselves, they provide ethics analysis, societal impact assessment, documentary filmmaking, and outreach services to large research consortia. Their presence across wildly diverse biology topics — from animal vaccines to gut microbiome engineering to biofluorination — reveals their true function: they are the team that helps frontier biology projects communicate with the public and navigate ethical dimensions. They are a trusted RRI service provider repeatedly invited into major EU synthetic biology consortia.
Present across all 9 projects spanning diverse synbio topics (MycoSynVac, MADONNA, SinFonia, BioRoboost), indicating a cross-cutting RRI/ethics role rather than domain-specific research.
Participant or partner in projects like Newcotiana (plant breeding), eForFuel (biofuels), and BestTreat (gut microbiome) — topics too diverse for one SME's lab expertise, consistent with communication/outreach delivery.
BioRoboost (CSA on synbio standardisation) and MADONNA (new-to-nature chemistries) show direct engagement with regulatory and standards frameworks.
Third-party or partner roles in SynCrop, BestTreat, and PERICO suggest they were brought in specifically for ethics/ELSA work packages.
eForFuel project on converting renewable electricity to hydrocarbon fuels represents expansion into energy sector outreach.
In their early H2020 period (2015-2018), Biofaction focused heavily on core synthetic biology topics: engineered vaccines (MycoSynVac), gene circuit design, and new-to-nature chemistries. Their keyword footprint was dominated by fundamental synbio terms like mycoplasma, gene circuits, and industrial metabolism. By 2018-2023, their portfolio diversified significantly into applied domains — renewable energy conversion (eForFuel), gut microbiome engineering (BestTreat), and international standards coordination (BioRoboost) — suggesting they broadened from pure synbio communication into wider biotechnology and even energy-sector public engagement.
Biofaction is expanding from synthetic biology niche into broader bioeconomy, energy, and health sectors — expect them to appear in Green Deal and health-related RRI roles in Horizon Europe.
Biofaction never coordinates — they join as participant (6 projects) or third party/partner (3 projects), which is the signature pattern of a specialized service provider invited into consortia for specific work packages. With 107 unique partners across 26 countries, they have an exceptionally wide network for an SME of their size, indicating they are a go-to choice that many different consortium builders know and trust. Working with them means adding a proven RRI and communication partner who integrates smoothly into large, diverse teams.
With 107 unique consortium partners across 26 countries, Biofaction has one of the broadest networks you'll find in a micro-SME. Their connections span top European universities, research institutes, and biotech companies across the synthetic biology and biotechnology landscape.
Biofaction occupies a rare niche: a private company dedicated to making synthetic biology understandable and accountable to the public. While most RRI providers are university-based groups, Biofaction operates as an independent SME — giving them flexibility and a track record that consortium builders value. If you need an experienced partner to handle ethics, public engagement, documentary production, or societal impact assessment for a biotechnology proposal, Biofaction is one of the few proven specialists in Europe with 9 projects of direct experience.
