Several forums and scientific meetings have devoted a prominent bench to biotechnology in the last few years. This can be explained, not only by its influence over the way of looking at fundamental problems in biological sciences, but moreover by its multidisciplinary nature, integrating different disciplines, both basic and applied. A very singular, and perhaps the most attractive aspect of biotechnology, is represented by the challenge of engineering the genome of plant, animal and microbial systems to develop new technologies and products for the welfare of mankind. Despite the world huge reservoir of knowledge in biotechnology, each country has its own peculiarities and problems, which make the generation of local knowledge a need to keep updated and to increase its independence. Biotechnology in Chile had been very active in the last few years, which is the underline of this IV National Congress of Biotechnology.

Five years elapsed since the last national meeting, so this forum for biotechnologists has been an excellent opportunity to assess the state of the art in the discipline. The meeting held at Talca has certainly fulfilled this main goal by allowing the exchange of experiences, methodologies and discussions for cooperation, stimulating the interest of young scientists and students in this dynamic discipline.

More than 350 participants, chileans and foreigners, from the academic and industrial sector and distinguished foreign invited lecturers were gathered at the University of Talca from September 30 to October 3.

The meeting was held around the different areas that cover the spectrum of biotechnology. Symposia were held in Industrial Biotechnology, Marine Biotechnology, Biotechnology in Human and Animal Health, and Biopesticides. Four workshops were conducted on Development and Opportunities for Plant Biotechnology, Biotechnology of Lignocellulosic Species, Immunology Probes for Biotechnology and Biomedicine and Biosafety for Sustainable Development of Agricultural Biotechnology. This last workshop summarized present and future regulations for the development, handling and trading of products from engineered organisms and cells. One hundred and twenty five posters were exhibited, covering all the areas of biotechnology. Foreign lecturers, giving an updated view of their areas of expertise in the most relevant topics of biotechnology, delivered plenary conferences. The last section of the meeting was a roundtable in which the academic and productive sectors were brought together to examine lines for future collaborative interactions in Chile.

The balance of the IV National Congress of Biotechnology in Chile has been certainly positive. The academic sector will continue as the major driving force for advancements in the field, the government and industry being the key partners to finance and focus such effort for the benefit of the country. It is clear that human resources and infrastructure are available and enthusiasm and commitment exist. However, some constraints have limited a more substantial development of biotechnology in Chile. Among them, it is worth to mention that the human resource, although very well qualified is few in number, that financing, although increasing is still insufficient, that interaction between academia and productive sector is scarce and a rather reluctant attitude towards multidisciplinary work is still prevalent.

A new industrial revolution is on the move and the innumerable possibilities of biotechnology have already been understood in several developing countries, strengthening their research programs in basic and applied biotechnology. However, there is not an explicit policy for biotechnology development in Chile, even though some actions have been taken, life the National Plan of Agricultural and Forestry Biotechnology, sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1995, which has not gone far ahead its formulation.

The National Committee of Biotechnology of the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT) is now addressing the critical questions of how to promote and coordinate the efforts in biotechnology to make it a priority in the development of the nation.

At the end, as President of the Organizing Committee of the IV National Congress of Biotechnology, I want to express my gratitude to all our sponsors: CONICYT, the University of Talca, the Foundation for Agricultural Innovation (Fundación para la Innovación Agraria), United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the Science for Life Foundation (Fundación Ciencia para la Vida) and the Chilean Foundation for Cell Biology (Fundación Chilena para la Biología Celular). Our gratitude, also, to our numerous industrial and commercial sponsors for their valuable contributions.