Established in 1987 under the administrative umbrella of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) now operates as an independent intergovernmental organization with 46 full member states and 32 affiliated centres.

ICGEB's mandate is to provide state-of-the-art research and training opportunities in the fields of biotechnology and molecular biology, especially for scientists in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The Centre's dual laboratory facilities in Trieste (where the directorate is located) and New Delhi emphasize research and training in a broad range of fields related to:

÷ Health

÷ Nutrition

÷ Industrial Production

Special areas of research within ICGEB include:

÷ Molecular biology studies aimed at providing basic knowledge and new diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive methods for genetic, infectious and degenerative diseases. ICGEB pursues a host of innovative strategies for the development of vaccines designed to more effectively treat such infectious diseases as hepatitis and malaria.

÷ Laboratory studies related to genome manipulation of plant varieties to better combat insects, salinity and other stresses.

÷ Examination and assessments of international codes for biosafety.

÷ Capacity building for risk assessment related to the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

÷ Participation in activities related to the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention to ensure the peaceful use of biotechnology.

More than 300 staff scientists and administrative staff work at ICGEB facilities in Trieste and New Delhi. Each year, some 400 students participate in the Centre's research and training activities. In addition, a network of 32 affiliated centres located in ICGEB's member states extend the Centre's global reach and help ensure that its research and development initiatives address local and regional concerns.

Pre-doctoral fellowships (up to four years), awarded in collaboration with the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste and the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, as well as post-doctoral fellowships (up to three years), provide comprehensive state-of-the-art education and training in biotechnology.

Collaborative research programmes nurture North-South and South-South partnerships, and ICGEBnet, a biocomputing resource operated by the Centre, provides an invaluable tool for the up-to-date distribution of genomic data and analysis. More than 500 scientists have registered for this service.

Genetic engineering may prove the most significant scientific endeavor of the 21st century. The ability to manipulate genomes has already shown enormous potential in a broad range of fields of critical importance to the global community, including public health and nutrition, environmental protection and remediation, and industrial development.

However, most of the benefits derived from genetically engineered plants and recombinant DNA-based vaccines and diagnostics have been restricted to developed countries. A key issue lying at the heart of ICGEB's mandate is how to make biotechnology research and development more inclusive by extending the circle of research and development to science and technology communities in the developing world.

To advance this goal, ICGEB has focused on the critical importance of capacity building and the need to transfer knowledge and concrete skills among both scientists and scientific institutions.

ICGEB's research and training activities are both theoretical and practical in nature. The Centre takes particular care to ensure that the findings derived from its research and laboratory initiatives are shared with all member states.

Those who participate in ICGEB research and training activities not only benefit from the advice of experts but enjoy prolonged assistance from the Centre after they return home. The Centre views extended periods of interaction between its scientific staff and visiting scientists as a key to its success.