Biotechnology has been defined as "the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide goods and services". In recent years, biotechnology has had an increasingly important impact on a range of economic sectors and disciplines. With such a growth, the need for effective policies has become a national and international priority.

Not surprisingly, biotechnology has been increasing important in a number of OECD activities, since the topic was first addressed over 20 years ago. To name a few, these activities include: the development of policy options for science and technology infrastructure; the implications of intellectual property rights and licensing; and consideration for human health and environmental safety.

The issues raised by biotechnology are shared by industrialised, and increasingly, by developing countries. Countries share information, discuss new policy approaches when traditional policies do not suffice and jointly develop collaborative policies when necessary. Thus OECD member countries can address these issues through co-ordinated efforts between governments/sectors.

OECD's Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology facilitates co-operation between the various OECD activities. It produces a newsletter, Biotechnology Update, which summarises developments at OECD, gives notice of upcoming meetings, and identifies key contact points. The latest edition of the newsletter is available for downloading from this page.