Institute of Biotechnology was founded in 1988 by Prof. Debao Li, the Chairman of Zhejiang Biotechnology Society. In 2002, this institute and the former Institute for Plant Diseases and Biocontrol were merged to form the new institute under Department of Plant Protection. From 1994 to 1998, the Plant Pathology discipline was a key discipline of Zhejiang Province, and sine 1999, it has been approved as a key discipline of Ministry of Agriculture. Now Institute of Biotechnology belongs to the National Key First-Level Discipline (Plant Protection) that consists of three second-level disciplines, namely Plant Pathology, Entomology and Pesticide Science. In 2011, the institute moved into the newly-built building complex in Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environment Science, Zijingang Campus. With the supports from “211” and “985” Project of MOE, and State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, the institute has been well equipped with ample workspace and state-of- the-arts facilities.

Since 1980s, the institute extended its research programs from traditional plant pathology to molecular plant pathology and molecular biology. There are more than thirty faculty members who are actively engaged in research, extension and teaching missions. Our research efforts focus on fundamental as well as applied aspects of plant pathology and microbiology. Areas of faculty research interest includes plant virology and diagnosis of viral disease, fungal biology and molecular mechanism of pathogenesis, mechanism of plant defense against pathogen infection, plant and microbe interactions, plant bacteriology and nematology, plant tissue culture and gene transformation, genetic engineering for disease resistance, the ecology of benefit microbes and plant disease biocontrol, rice functional genomics with microarray and –omics approaches etc.

The institute provides quality educational opportunities at the undergraduate level on Applied Biology program, and at graduate level on both Plant Pathology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology program. Now the institute has more than 110 graduate students. The graduate program of plant pathology in the institute is at the top level in China.

Faculty members in Institute of Biotechnology have received support from various international and domestic organizations including the National Key Basic Research and Development Program China, National Natural Science Foundation, and the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest. Our faculty members have earned international reputations and numerous honors for their research and the institute has gained reputation as a major center for the study of plant pathology and biotechnology in China. Long-term collaboration relationship has been established with institutions in countries such as USA, UK, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Japan, Canada, Greece, Italy and Korea. In order to meet the future demands and challenges of crop production, our Institute is endeavoring to make major contribution to our knowledge of plant pathology and microbiology.