In a speech at Policy Exchange in January 2012, David Willetts has set out his ambition to make Britain "the best place in the world to do science".

Among his many recommendations he announced the initiation of a synthetic biology roadmap, which is due to be released in the Spring. 

"Synthetic biology has been driven by developments in next generation sequencing, DNA synthesis, and systems engineering. It is a potential platform technology with possible applications including bio-energy, industrial biotechnology and chemicals. I have asked leading researchers and business experts in a group chaired by Dr Lionel Clarke of Shell to produce a synthetic biology roadmap to set out the timeframe and actions to establish a world leading synthetic biology industry in the UK. They should report in the Spring after which we intend to convene a new Synthetic Biology Leadership Council to look at how we can deliver that road map."

For more details, click through to the full text of the speech below.