The PhD in Biotechnology offers advanced training in biotechnology and related areas. The doctorate studies include the elaboration and presentation of a Doctoral Thesis consisting of a scientific study with the results of original research.. During the academic year of 2007-08 these studies were adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)

These studies were initiated in 1998 (Royal Decree 778/98) and arose from the need to provide the graduates of different degrees of Health Sciences and Experimental Sciences (Pharmacy, Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Medicine, etc.) an appropriate training to develop high quality research in the field of Biotechnology .

The program offers several research lines related to different biotechnological areas in research groups belonging to the university and other institutions such as IDIBAPS (Institute of Biomedical Research, August Pi i Sunyer), IBMB-CSIC (Instituto de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), IIQB-CSIC (Institute of Chemical and Environmental Research of Barcelona-CSIC), IRB (Institute of Biomedical Research, Barcelona Scientific Park) and biotechnological companies (Laboratorios Esteve, Grifols, Puig Advancell, Bioglane, etc. among others)

The rapid evolution towards new paradigms that involve a strong commitment to innovation in biotechnology and multidisciplinary network fully justify the program features. In this sense, their apparent heterogeneity is an essential strategic element for the development of synergies between different areas of knowledge of Health Sciences and Experimental Sciences.

This program a lso offers an international setting created by the presence of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from various countries and the extensive collaboration between researcher's groups involved in the program. English is a language widely used in the normal functioning of most research groups. M any students have the opportunity of carrying out stages in prestigious laboratories abroad to improve their formation and training in new methodologies.

The quality of the program is endorsed by the following items:

* Quality Award given by the "Ministry of Education and Science" in 2003 and renewed in 2008 until 2012 (Ref. MEC2006-00356).

* Financial support from the goverment of Spain (Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia) for inviting professors from prestigious national / international institutions..

The research lines offered are:

Genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics
Plant Biotechnology
Gene therapy
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Microorganisms
Nanobiotechnology
Biotechnology: models, methodologies and applications
Biomedical Biotechnology
Biocatalysis and enzyme technology: biotransformations Objectives

Biotechnology applies scientific and engineering principles to the production of compounds through biological agents to provide goods and services. We should mention that there was a first Biotechnology traditional discipline that was not well known, mainly applied to fermentation processes. In 1970 through the merger of the technologies of genetic engineering and traditional industrial microbiology emerged as a new research area the modern biotechnology, also known as Molecular Biotechnology. The potential for genetic manipulation of an organism was then applied not only to microorganisms but also to plants and animals, and this application had a big impact in the field of health, agriculture and the environment. Molecular Biotechnology has been regarded as the latest technological revolution of the twentieth century with great economic and social impact.