Sequencing the DNA of all complex life in the UK and Ireland could generate up to almost £3 billion for the economy across agriculture, conservation, and research over the next 30 years, according to a new report.
The Darwin Tree of Life Project, a collaboration including experts at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Natural History Museum, and many others 1 , aims to sequence the DNA of all findable eukaryotic organisms in the UK including animals, plants, and fungi, totalling an estimated 30,000 species.
A new report, published today (16 April) in Frontier Economics , has calculated how much this revolution in biology will benefit the UK economy through things such as improving crop resilience and pest control on farms, advances in medicine and biotechnology, and more efficient conservation projects.
This report showcases the substantial return on investment that the project offers. It highlights how the Darwin Tree of Life Project has already saved the global scientific community £55 million in research costs to date by providing over 2,500 reference genomes for open access use.
The instructions for every living thing are found in its DNA, along with its genetic story, tracking where it came from, how it evolved to adapt to new challenges, and how it might handle such changes in the future.
The Human Genome Project decoded this for humans, and in turn, revolutionised science and medicine, generating more than $750 billion in economic activity from a $4 billion investment 2 . The Darwin Tree of Life Project, which started in 2019, aims to do the same for all the species around us in the UK and Ireland, and contribute to the wider, global Earth BioGenome project 3 .
The Frontier Economics report has identified three key areas where the economic impact will be felt:
Additionally, the Darwin Tree of Life Project has supplied 30 per cent of the world's biodiversity genomes, making it a world-leader in genomic research. The project also provides open-access protocols, tools, and training to biodiversity genomics programmes worldwide, with experts advising on international projects including those in Norway, Brazil, and Australia.
Christiane Hertz-Fowler, Head of Directed Activity at Wellcome, said: "The significance of the Darwin Tree of Life project cannot be underestimated, as demonstrated by the huge number and diversity of genomes already sequenced and by the scale of its potential economic impact in the upcoming decades. When we first began funding this ambitious project, we knew that we would unveil a rich tapestry of insights into life and nature throughout the UK & Ireland, creating remarkable scientific impact. Now, this report underscores the importance of investing in ambitious, transformative discovery research to help us better understand life around us, in turn helping us solve health challenges around the world."
Professor Ian Barnes, Research Leader at the Natural History Museum, said: "Capturing the genetic secrets of complex organisms in the UK and Ireland can help us understand how life has evolved and will adapt in the future. Climate change threatens our food security, biodiversity, and ecosystems, causing environmental and economic impact. Our report shows that the Darwin Tree of Life reference genomes can help to offset this. The keys to some of our biggest challenges could be found in the DNA of the species we are studying. We need to invest in unlocking it to create a future where both people and planet thrive.”
Professor Mark Blaxter, Head of the Tree of Life Programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “The Darwin Tree of Life Project is an ambitious project, and one that many of us have always believed would fundamentally change biology by decoding all life in the UK and Ireland. This report shows that our project will also have a significant beneficial financial impact over the next 30 years, highlighting how much it pays to invest in understanding and protecting biodiversity, improving conservation, and generating knowledge that benefits both people and the living world around us.”
ENDS
Contact details:
Rachael Smith
Press Office
Wellcome Sanger Institute
Cambridge, CB10 1SA
07827979492 / 07748 379849
Email: press.office@sanger.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
Additional spokespeople's quotes and supporting information, including images, can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-fW94rs-p7RGPFUVCKT-yJvAAHjOHD_y?usp=sharing
Publication: J. Carvalho, H. Olorenshaw, D. Popov. (2026) ‘The value of reference genomes and the Darwin Tree of Life Project’. Frontier Economics . DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19472560
Funding: The report was funded by the Wellcome Sanger Institute's core funding.
Selected websites:
About the Darwin Tree of Life Project:
The Darwin Tree of Life Project is a collaborative effort to sequence all findable eukaryotic life in the UK and Ireland. The gold-standard reference genomes produced are open access and will help transform how the scientific and research community conducts biology, biodiversity, and conservation research. The Darwin Tree of Life Project is one of several initiatives worldwide working towards the ultimate goal of sequencing all complex life on Earth, as part of the Earth BioGenome Project.
The Wellcome Sanger Institute
The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leader in genomics research. We apply and explore genomic technologies at scale to advance understanding of biology and improve health. Making discoveries not easily made elsewhere, our research delivers insights across health, disease, evolution and pathogen biology. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools, technologies and training are freely shared across the globe to advance science.
Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom to think long-term and push the boundaries of genomics. We take on the challenges of applying our research to the real world, where we aim to bring benefit to people and society.
Find out more at www.sanger.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter , Instagram, Facebook , LinkedIn and on our Blog .
About The Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is a world-leading scientific research centre and the UK's number one visitor attraction.
We are welcoming more than 7 million people to our blockbuster exhibitions, galleries and gardens and our 400 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency - from reversing biodiversity loss to resourcing the green economy. With over 80 million specimens, spanning 4.5 billion years, the breadth and depth of the Museum’s collection make it the most important of its kind in the world. Through our NHM150 campaign, we are raising an additional £150 million to transform our iconic building and meet our mission of creating over 100 million advocates for the planet by 2031 – the Museum’s 150th anniversary.
About Wellcome
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we’re taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. https://wellcome.org/
About Frontier Economics
Frontier Economics is an employee-owned, independent economic consultancy, with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, Dublin, London, Madrid, Paris and Prague. We advise governments, regulators and major companies on complex questions relating to policy and strategy.
Further information about Frontier is available at www.frontier-economics.com [frontier-economics.com
The value of reference genomes and the Darwin Tree of Life Project
15-Apr-2026