The unparalleled growth of commercial biotechnology in the USA and Europe during the past two decades has also been marked by its steady development in Latin America. Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and others have made significant strides in building their research and production capacity in modern biotechnology. As these countries have pioneered new biotechnology applications in agriculture, mining, biofuels, human and animal healthcare a number have also launched national biotechnology plans with long-term investment commitments. Newly formed biotechnology trade associations in the region are expanding their membership and rapidly gaining international visibility. Along with the growth of commercial biotechnology in Latin America comes the need to address a series of issues associated with public perception, regulatory framework and intellectual property protection, financing mechanisms, workforce development and more. Government agencies and related public institutions are challenged to adjust their policies and operations to address these changing needs. The private sector and the international community at large will continue to play critical roles in the region through knowledge networks, technology exchanges and joint business investments.
ESTE TRABAJO ABORDA LAS TENDENCIAS DE LA INVESTIGACIÓN biotecnológica en Nicaragua. Se destaca el reciente auge de esta área del conocimiento basándose en información obtenida de los tres Congresos Nicaragüenses de Biotecnología (2002, 2004 y 2006). Se describen, en particular, las actividades y temáticas abordadas en el tercer Congreso, resaltando las ponencias más sobresalientes. Al mismo tiempo, se discute la potencialidad de este sector para la economía nacional. Esta revisión del tema, a manera de diagnóstico de la situación actual, podría contribuir a la toma de decisiones sobre el desarrollo de políticas de promoción de la investigación científica.Palabras clave: biotecnología-Nicaragua-investigaciones / biotecnología congresos, conferencias, etc. / investigación científica Introducción A nivel mundial, la biotecnología representa una amplia área de disciplinas que se desarrollan a un paso acelerado, provocando tremendo impacto en la economía, la ciencia y la educación. También en Nicaragua se están desarrollando con firmeza estas ciencias: durante los últimos 10 años, se ha destacado una incipiente pero creciente comunidad científica determinada a su avance, al uso de sus aplicaciones y el mejoramiento de la educación científica en el país. Actualmente, varios grupos de investigadores y centros de investigación están ayudando a solucionar problemas concretos, principalmente en las áreas de biomedicina y biotecnología agrícola.En un esfuerzo por impulsar estas áreas del conocimiento el Centro de Biología Molecular de la Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), ha organizado los Congresos Nicaragüenses de Biotecnología que se han convertido en una plataforma de divulgación y debate de los temas más apremiantes de la comunidad investigadora del sector biotecnológico. Este artículo es una revisión sobre los avances de la investigación científica en biotecnología teniendo como base los resultados y Memorias de los tres Congresos (2002Congresos ( , 2004Congresos ( , 2006; se abordan la historia, objetivos y alcances de estos Congresos; se describen, en particular, las actividades y temáticas abordadas en el tercero, resaltando las ponencias más sobresalientes. Al mismo tiempo, se discute la potencialidad de este sector para la
The unparalleled growth of commercial biotechnology in the USA and Europe during the past two decades has also been marked by its steady development in Latin America. Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and others have made significant strides in building their research and production capacity in modern biotechnology. As these countries have pioneered new biotechnology applications in agriculture, mining, biofuels, human and animal healthcare a number have also launched national biotechnology plans with long-term investment commitments. Newly formed biotechnology trade associations in the region are expanding their membership and rapidly gaining international visibility. Along with the growth of commercial biotechnology in Latin America comes the need to address a series of issues associated with public perception, regulatory framework and intellectual property protection, financing mechanisms, workforce development and more. Government agencies and related public institutions are challenged to adjust their policies and operations to address these changing needs. The private sector and the international community at large will continue to play critical roles in the region through knowledge networks, technology exchanges and joint business investments.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.