Applied Science/Biotechnology
"The role of biotechnology in the 21st century will be all-encompassing. Its impact will extend from food to medicine, from energy to the environment. It will literally change our world."
Peter Andrews, Qld Chief Scientist
Biotechnology is defined as the science of using living things, and components of living things, to produce goods and services. It involves manipulating and modifying organisms, often at the molecular level.
Biotechnology is set to play a vitally important role in all our lives, providing exciting opportunities to harness ever-increasing knowledge for the benefit of humanity – including improving quality and availability of food and nutrition, reducing our environmental footprint and radically changing healthcare. Biotechnology is a crucial component of the health and medical research sector, with enormous potential for addressing future health challenges, not only here in Queensland but throughout the world.
Biotechnology’s enormous potential has prompted governments around the world to actively invest in life science capabilities. Biotechnology is at the heart of Queensland’s Smart State. By 2025, the Queensland Biotech industry will employ over 16,000 people and be worth more than $20 Billion.
Almost one third of all new Australian biotech companies are based in Queensland and Queensland is poised to be a key centre in health and medical technology and global hub of tropical health and medical biotechnology.
This means that a highly skilled, highly trained workforce is critical now and for the future. As Queensland’s Premier training provider, Southbank Institute of Technology educates and trains this workforce.
Our courses specialise in providing “real skills for real jobs” including laboratory skills and analytical techniques such as biological, environmental and pathology testing as well as process manufacturing testing. These equip students with a solid foundation and core skills in key areas to contribute to the rapid advances being made in fields such as genomics, proteomics, structural biology, bioinformatics, bioprocessing, genetic transformation, biodiscovery and nanotechnology
Last updated 22 September, 2008