Collaborations and Policy Direction for Sustainability‐Focused Gene‐Edited Foods Research

Gene‐edited foods can contribute to adequate and nutritious food to alleviate the challenge of feeding a growing population under severe constraints imposed by climate change and land use. However, genetically engineered (GE) foods R&D, the knowledge source for gene‐edited foods that focuses on commercial gains and neglects sustainability outcomes, cannot be expected to achieve longer‐term public good. To represent R&D outputs, we examined GE foods–related patents' abstracts, where we found negligible mentions of sustainability outcomes. To correct for embedding sustainability, through network analysis of the current ultimate parents of the patents' co‐assignees, we profiled the past collaborations capable of creating GE foods knowledge and their research inclinations. On investigating the entity types involved directly and indirectly in these collaborations, we observed a near‐omnipresence of national policy bodies and national research institutes. Based on these insights superimposed on the prevailing socio‐technological conditions, we proposed sustainability‐focused R&D policy directions.