Author: Kreysa, Gerhard, Marquardt, Rüdiger, Hertweck, Christian, European Commission, 2005

Biotechnology is one of the most important technologies for our future. The last quarter of the 20th century saw the advent of new techniques, notably in the field of genetic engineering, which have enabled a leap in scientific understanding and the development of numerous new and innovative applications. These developments have been accompanied by intensive debates in society on the use and consequences of this new knowledge.

This publication has been written by a team of young experts with the opportunity to look ahead and forecast possible applications of biotechnology from now until 2020. Coming from very different fields of biotechnology, the authors have chosen a few particularly important examples from a huge range of new areas of research and examined these in detail, giving the reader an idea of those developments which the experts consider to be the most significant. 

This brochure provides an opportunity to look ahead and forecast possible applications of biotechnology from now to 2020. The outlooks presented in this brochure are based on the current state of scientific knowledge and describe likely developments. The chapters are targeted at both the general public and more expert readers. Each chapter has a glossary to explain essential technical terms to a lay readership. The brochure is less a scientific publication than a science-based discussion of the opportunities and challenges resulting from new developments in biotechnology.

In the context of the Lisbon strategy, frontier technologies such as biotechnology have a pivotal role to play. The shift towards a European Knowledge-Based Bio-economy depends on our ability to manage biological resources in a sustainable manner, and to exploit the advances in microbial, plant and animal biotechnologies for the efficient creation of new, eco-efficient and competitive products and services.

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