What Is Environmental Biotechnology? Although Widely Applied, a Clear Definition of the Term Is Still Needed
Caroline Randall
Marketing Manager
A team from the BBSRC funded Environmental Biotechnology Network (EBNet) has critically examined the term ‘Environmental Biotechnology’, noting that although it is widely used across academia, industry and policy, there is no universally accepted definition.
This lack of definitional consensus has several practical implications for funding, policy formulation, disciplinary identity and interdisciplinary collaboration.
To understand how the term is being used, the team undertook a bibliometric survey using the Web of Science database (1970–2024) to track usage and its contexts. This was complemented with a range of engagement activities via EBNet, including review of conference abstracts, funding applications, member keywords, story competitions, and outreach events. From the literature search, thousands of publications were found to reference the term, but only a fraction defined it explicitly, with the majority implicitly assuming its meaning.
This lack of definitional consensus has several practical implications for funding, policy formulation, disciplinary identity and interdisciplinary collaboration.
To understand how the term is being used, the team undertook a bibliometric survey using the Web of Science database (1970–2024) to track usage and its contexts. This was complemented with a range of engagement activities via EBNet, including review of conference abstracts, funding applications, member keywords, story competitions, and outreach events. From the literature search, thousands of publications were found to reference the term, but only a fraction defined it explicitly, with the majority implicitly assuming its meaning.
A team from the BBSRC funded Environmental Biotechnology Network (EBNet) has critically examined the term ‘Environmental Biotechnology’, noting that although it is widely used across academia, industry and policy, there is no universally accepted definition.
This lack of definitional consensus has several practical implications for funding, policy formulation, disciplinary identity and interdisciplinary collaboration.
To understand how the term is being used, the team undertook a bibliometric survey using the Web of Science database (1970–2024) to track usage and its contexts. This was complemented with a range of engagement activities via EBNet, including review of conference abstracts, funding applications, member keywords, story competitions, and outreach events. From the literature search, thousands of publications were found to reference the term, but only a fraction defined it explicitly, with the majority implicitly assuming its meaning.
Source
Heaven, S.; Kusch-Brandt, S.; Byfield, L.; Bywater, A.; Coulon, F.; Curtis, T.; Gutierrez, T.; Higson, A.; Sadhukhan, J. What Is Environmental Biotechnology? Although Widely Applied, a Clear Definition of the Term Is Still Needed. Environments 2025, 12, 393. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12100393
