The Interuniversity Consortium for Biotechnology (CIB), established in 1987, includes 25 member universities and a national laboratory. The consortium employs more than 3,000 researchers.

The CIB National Laboratory (LNCIB), with six units located in AREA Science Park, acts as a reference point for promoting biotechnology research in Italy. The laboratory concentrates on closely related scientific areas that include structural and functional genomics, as well as techniques for profiling gene expression through DNA-microarrays.