Recent trend of research activity on marine biotechnology in China

Abstract

Research activities on the fields of marine biotechnology become active not only in developing countries but also in Asian countries. Among those countries China recently initiate the national marine biotechnology R and D program. Since 1996, marine biotechnology has been approved to be a subject of the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China as 863 program. In the first five years from 1996 to 2000 and successively in the second five years from 2001 to 2005, Marine Biotechnology R and D 863 program has been funded by Chinese government with 97.5 million RMB and then more than 200 million RMB, respectively. Under this program there are mainly six R and D subjects of marine biotechnology; 1. Breeding engineering, 2. Control of the disease, 3. Production system and culture facilities, 4. Marine drug and bioproducts, 5. Functional genes and genomics, 6. Breeding of the salt-resistant plants. In this paper the research activities and results of 863 program were introduced, and from chinese cases we could learn how we plan and perform the marine biotechnology program of Korea in future.