Biotechnology: Paving the way for WA's future.

Biotechnology has been defined as "Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use".

Modern biotechnology in particular uses the new DNA techniques, molecular biology and advances in immunology, cell biology and computer science.

The past 20 years have seen enormous advances in these fields and biotechnology is now an integral part of food production and human and animal health.

Not only have these technologies spawned many new industries, but they are also becoming an integral part of traditional industries such as agriculture, aquaculture, food production and processing and water treatment, to name just a few.

Western Australia has a rapidly growing biotechnology industry.

The first WA biotechnology company was established in the early 1980s and now about 18 per cent of Australia's biotechnology companies are located in WA.

Compared to other States, however, many of our companies are still small.

A significant number of WA biotechnology companies are in the area of mining and agriculture, which are the main export industries in WA.

Biotechnology is being applied to improve yields and efficiency in these sectors.

For example, bio-leaching is being used in the mining of gold, copper and nickel.

In agriculture, the use of DNA markers is enhancing the speed and success rate of traditional plant breeding methods, and gene manipulation should produce new varieties with enhanced disease resistance and the ability to grow in more saline soils.

WA also has several environmental biotechnology companies, mainly in the waste treatment area, as well as the largest algal biotechnology production facility in the world, producing the carotenoid beta-carotene for human and animal health.

The human therapeutics and diagnostics areas are less well developed commercially, however there have been several significant developments in this area in WA and a number of new medical biotechnology companies have been formed recently.

Biotechnology is research intensive and requires a wide range of expertise and skills ranging from basic science to business and management.

University research and research centres play an important role in providing the intellectual base and discoveries that drive this industry.

Universities also train the highly skilled people required by these industries.

Commercial development of the new biotechnologies is an expensive and protracted process and requires a close partnership between universities, business and government.

In December 2000, the Western Australian Technology and Industry Advisory Council (TIAC) released a report entitled "Biotechnology West: Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities".

This report recognised the importance of biotechnology to the future economic development of WA, and recommended that a biotechnology strategy be incorporated into the State's Science and Technology Policy.

The national importance of bio-technology is acknowledged by the Australian Government as part of the Backing Australia's Ability report (2001) which has led to the establishment of a national centre for research into plant functional genomics.

Murdoch University recognised the importance of biotechnology some years ago and established the first undergraduate degree in biotechnology, with State Government funding, capitalising on the strong interdisciplinary ethos at the University.

This has led to significant growth in research in this area and the establishment of the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC), a model of how collaboration between WA Universities and other institutions, industry and government can provide world-class facilities and the critical mass of researchers for research and development that will be to the benefit of all West Australians.

The establishment of the SABC has led to the establishment of other research centres in biotechnology, such as the Centre for High-throughput Agricultural Genetic Analysis (CHAGA), the Centre for Bioinformatics and Biological Computing, The Centre for Biomolecular Control of Disease, the Australian Centre for Necrotrophic Fungal Pathogens and the Western Australian Biomedical Research Institute.

Several companies are also located on the campus.

This concentration of research expertise will continue to produce new biotechnology products and processes for the ultimate benefit of all West Australians.