A UK biotechnology company developing sustainable natural rubber from specially engineered dandelions has secured £3.4m in combined grant funding and equity investment to accelerate development of its engineering biology platform.
QuberTech says the funding, backed by UKI2S and Sustainable Ventures, alongside support from Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, will be used to expand research and development activities, grow the company’s team and validate the technology ahead of commercial deployment.
The company is focused on engineering high-yield dandelion strains capable of producing natural rubber and other bio-based products. The approach is intended to provide an alternative to conventional rubber production, which relies heavily on rubber trees grown in tropical regions.
Natural rubber is a key industrial material, with applications including healthcare and alsoautomotive manufacturing, defence and a wide range of industrial sectors. However, global supply chains are increasingly exposed to environmental, geopolitical and disease-related pressures.
According to QuberTech, dandelions offer several advantages over traditional rubber trees. While rubber trees require tropical growing conditions and can take years to mature, engineered dandelion crops can be cultivated more rapidly in controlled environments and located closer to industrial demand centres.
Alongside natural rubber production, the company says its platform has the potential to generate additional bio-based materials for applications including food, cosmetics, sustainable packaging and advanced biomaterials.
QuberTech CEO Dr Ofir Meir said growing pressure on global natural rubber supply chains was increasing the need for more resilient and sustainable sources of supply.
“At QuberTech, we’re developing a new generation of sustainable biomaterials using engineering biology to create resilient, locally produced alternatives to imported natural rubber,” he said.
“This critical funding enables us to accelerate R&D, expand our team, and validate our platform at a small pilot scale as we move towards commercial deployment.”
The company’s work has also attracted support through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, reflecting growing interest in how biotechnology and precision breeding techniques could contribute to more resilient industrial supply chains.
Investors backing the company highlighted both the strategic importance of natural rubber and the broader potential of engineering biology to address supply chain challenges.
Oliver Sexton, investment director at UKI2S, managed by Future Planet Capital, said reliance on imported natural rubber continued to leave supply chains vulnerable to disruption.
“QuberTech offers a compelling sustainable alternative,” he said. “By applying engineering biology to cultivate high-yield dandelions in controlled conditions, the company is developing a more resilient, localised and scalable approach to natural rubber production.”
Josh Armistead-Wood, senior investment associate at Sustainable Ventures, described the technology as an innovative response to growing sustainability and supply chain pressures affecting global rubber production.
As industries seek more sustainable and secure sources of raw materials, QuberTech said engineering biology could play a growing role in reshaping how strategically important industrial materials are produced.