Table 2_Advancing synthetic biology in African academia: institutional barriers, capacity gaps, and the impact of a pilot online training program.xlsx

Synthetic biology has emerged as a promising field with the potential to address challenges in agriculture, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. However, limited studies have focused on Africa’s perspective and potential applications. Public understanding and teaching of synthetic biology, especially within African academic institutions, could play a central role in driving its application in Africa. This study assessed the awareness, perceptions and barriers of synthetic biology among 140 students, lecturers and researchers from 17 countries. The study employed a stratified purposive survey to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from the respondents. Most participants reported their first encounter with synthetic biology as conducting internet searches and participating in online synthetic biology training. Health innovation was reported as the sector most likely to benefit from its advancements, followed by agriculture, industrial applications and environmental sustainability. Key themes on the concerns included access to trained staff, ethical and biosecurity considerations, biosafety and environmental risks and governance. Themes describing barriers to the application of synthetic biology were dominated by inadequate laboratory infrastructure, followed by less institutional support, limited funding and insufficient training opportunities. In addition, an online synthetic biology course was piloted, and participants reported improved awareness and understanding of synthetic biology following course completion. Generally, our findings highlight the need to strengthen academic curricula, expand access to affordable training platforms, invest in laboratory infrastructure, and promote a biosecurity and biosafety regulatory framework to support the growth of synthetic biology research in Africa.