What is happening here is far too powerful to remain locked away in the ivory
tower of pure intellect. And it is too important to be subordinated to mere
profit-seeking—even though it can be very profitable when translated correctly.
The Biological Awakening transcends academia and industry. And this
transcendence gives rise to a new mindset.
I have repeatedly seen brilliant young researchers bow to the economy, being
told to subordinate the environmental impact of their work to the idea of quick
money—witnessing this was painful. And I have seen seasoned academics looking
down on ‘traitorous’ colleagues who founded a startup.
“Einstein didn't come up with the Theory of Relativity thinking about GPS.”
To overcome this dichotomy and fruitfully connect both worlds, we must recognize
two seemingly opposed realities: On the one hand, freedom of research needs to
remain intact as it is the basis of groundbreaking innovations. Useless
knowledge can be profoundly useful (Einstein didn’t come up with the Theory of
Relativity thinking about GPS). On the other hand, we cannot change the fact
that an industry executive needs to think in quarterly figures. There is only
one way to reconcile these realities: We need bridge-builders—people with the
foresight to recognize the application potential hidden within science early on,
and the ability to translate that vision into the languages of both worlds.
These are the polymaths.
Polymaths are a rare species in times of ultra-specialization. They are at home
in multiple worlds, capable of spotting synergies and connecting unrelated
fields. They are, to use an allegory, living rivers that connect isolated
knowledge silos, ensuring they flourish rather than dry out. Their invaluable
work as translators—preventing miscommunication, accelerating innovation, and
seeing the bigger picture—rarely fits into traditional Key Performance
Indicators.
And just as rivers require a riverbed to flow, these translators need a physical
space of encounter. That is why we built the SynBioReactor: a transdisciplinary
space that provides the fertile ground where academia, venture capital,
industry, philosophy, and art collide. We are here to ensure that this new-old
mindset—the Da Vincian spirit of the polymath, who knows that science art and
application were never separate to begin with—truly takes root and flourishes as
living proof that the Biological Awakening is already an unfolding reality.