The EFB Division on Microbial Biotechnology was founded on 17 August 1997, during an EFB General Assembly.

Activities

One of the main activities of the Microbial Biotechnology Division is the organization of high-level scientific symposia. Major features of these activities are:

Symposia are interdisciplinary, bringing together molecular microbiologists, geneticists, environmental and industrial biotechnologists and chemical engineers.

Symposia are truly international, typically attended by participants from across the world.

All sectors are represented: industry, academia, research institutes and government agencies.

Aims

The Microbial Biotechnology Division of the European Federation of Biotechnology is committed to the promotion and dissemination of results of fundamental research of the highest quality, and to its application to the benefits of biotechnology in Europe. The interests of our colleagues span from fundamental genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, immunology, pathogenesis, cell, molecular and structural biology to their applications in medical, environmental, pharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural biotechnology and engineering.

The Division is committed to being an open organisation that recognises no boundaries.

The Division actively encourages the creation of new collaborations between European Universities, Research Institutes and Industry, between different disciplines represented within the EFB, between the EFB and the European Commission, and will maintain close links with other Federations such as the Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

How these aims are achieved?

The Division will continue to organise highly focused symposia on specialist topics at the frontiers of recent developments. Many of these activities will be part of a series of related meetings organised at appropriate intervals so that future developments can be reviewed. Residential meetings lasting two or more days have proved an effective way to complete such in-depth reviews. Where appropriate, selected contributions to these symposia will be disseminated more widely, for example, in international, edited publications.

The Division will also support other major activities organised by the EFB, such as the biennial European Congresses of Biotechnology, and symposia organised by other Divisions within the Federation.

What is Microbial Biotechnology?

Microbial Biotechnology is concerned with structure-function relationships of microorganisms, with particular emphasis on how microbes respond in response to changes in their environment.