The joint research programme between Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) titled “Carbon-Negative Synthetic Biology for Biomaterial Production from CO₂” (CNSB) was officially launched on 1 March 2024. It is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme and hosted under SJTU Asia-Pacific Graduate Institute (SJTU-APGI).

This 3-year programme will innovate and create new synthetic pathways for efficiently utilizing CO₂ and develop "carbon-negative light-driven cell factories", which includes four research tracks collaborating with each other.

Research Track A: Artificial Enhancement of Photosynthesis

Research Track B: Biofoundry Enabling

Research Track C: Bioreactor Development

Research Track D: Product Development

The developed technologies in this programme will help Singapore reduce carbon emissions, optimize the energy supply structure, and save land resources, which can significantly ease urgent environmental and energy pressures. It will benefit both Singapore and China.

The research team consists of professors from SJTU School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Mechanical Engineering, China-UK Low Carbon College and Artificial Intelligence Institute, professor from Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as professors from NUS College of Design and Engineering, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Faculty of Science.

This is the second collaborative programme between SJTU and NUS under NRF CREATE, following the 10-year programme “Energy and Environmental Sustainability Solutions for Megacities” (E2S2) which will be ending in April 2024.