The United Nations University Biotechnology Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNU-BIOLAC) was officially established in 1988 by an agreement between the Venezuelan Government and the United Nations University.

UNU-BIOLAC supports training and research at the intersection of science, technology, and society, demonstrating how modern biotechnology can encourage social and economic development.

The programme’s aim is to prepare and qualify professionals in biotechnology through focused training and capacity development. Activities are organised throughout the LAC region and are carried out in collaboration with an international network of highly qualified academics and researchers who are experts in biotechnology.

Priority Areas (2022–2023)

Therefore, UNU-BIOLAC is seeking to empower young scientists to use Big Data as a knowledge-enabling strategy that traverses across the following priority areas:

1. Emerging and neglected human, animal and plant diseases
2. Genome editing, omics technologies, and similar approaches for biotechnological research
3. Drug discovery and vaccine development
4. Sustainable biotechnological processes and cost-effective bioengineered products or technologies

Activities

• Providing fellowships for research and training
• Offering advanced courses for holders of a bachelor’s degree
• Harnessing the research and training opportunities within the UNU-BIOLAC network

To date, UNU-BIOLAC has supported more than 346 researchers / fellows and has worked in partnership with various academic and research centers in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region through the development of more than 300 workshops, seminars, and conferences that have benefited nearly 10,000 professionals in the field of biotechnology.

Collaborations

Currently, UNU-BIOLAC closely collaborates with the following institutions:

• Fundación Instituto de Estudios Avanzados IDEA, Venezuela
• International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Italy
• University of Granada, Spain.
• The Pasteur Institute, Uruguay
• Antioquia University, Colombia
• UNESCO, Uruguay