Synthetic biology's self‐fulfilling prophecy – dangers of confinement from within and outside

A too narrow focus on engineering and application may confine the development of synthetic biology: this Forum article provides reasons to suggest that knowledge could remain related to intended functions and applications, and not flow back from application to (deeper biological) understanding. Concurrently, such an engineering/application focus may ‘attract’ and feed strategic policy schemes, in turn enhancing the need for applicability as a prerequisite of knowledge production. This self‐reinforcing loop – driven from within and outside the field – could ultimately restrict future knowledge and benefits from synthetic biology.