Research Programs Research Centers and Facilities University - Industry Relationships Training and Education Programs Keeping the Public Informed and The Future List of Current Articles Genomics at UC Davis Life Sciences Informatics Program UCD Seed Biotechnology Center Advanced Degree Program Biotechnology, in the simplest and broadest sense, is a series of enabling technologies which involve the manipulation of living organisms or their subcellular components to provide useful products, processes, or services. The strength of this definition is its inclusiveness for it permits the coming together of fields as diverse as molecular biology and practical agriculture, vaccine development and pollution control, sustainable agriculture and chemical engineering.
Biotechnology is a broad umbrella encompassing the polarities of fundamental and applied research.
Although biotechnology in the broadest sense in not new, what is new is the level of complexity and precision involved in scientists' current ability to manipulate living organisms. The new biotechnology is an integrated, multidisciplinary field which is having a profound impact in a variety of areas. In the last decade biotechnology has developed into a major growth industry in California. More and more industries are turning to biotechnology in order to improve their products and make the manufacture process easier, cleaner and more cost effective. This trend has created an ever-increasing job market for individuals trained in biotechnology.