Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) is an autonomous institution for Education, Training, and Research established under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), by the Government of India (GoI), Department of Biotechnology. Designed to be a Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology, RCB aims to be a platform for innovation, enterprise, and industrial development. Association with international organizations such as UNESCO facilitates RCB to provide world-class education, conduct quality research, and foster global connectivity and cooperation.

GoI and UNESCO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 14th July 2006 to establish RCB. The Centre is recognized as a “Category II Centre” by “the principles and guidelines for establishment and functioning of UNESCO Institutes and Centres”. A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to further strengthen the cooperation and collaboration between UNESCO and the GoI, and continue the recognition of RCB by UNESCO as a Category-II center, was signed between UNESCO and GoI on 11th April 2018. RCB being an institution of national importance established through an Act of Parliament, and a Category-Il Centre under the auspices of UNESCO is mandated for capacity building in Biotechnology and related areas in India and the other UNESCO member countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The functions/objectives of the Centre are to:


• Strengthen capacities through education and advanced training to foster research and development for the application of biotechnology to sustainable development
• Develop interdisciplinary research programs at the interface of biology, engineering, medicine, and physical sciences, and sustain world-class education and training for sustainable development through international partnerships in science
• Create an environment that enables innovative approaches in the design and implementation of quality science education and training at the tertiary level, and thereby develop new concepts and programs which can be integrated into curricula of universities in India and the ASPAC region
• Promote and strengthen South-South and South-North cooperation around issues relevant to Biotech education, science, innovation, research, applications, and commercialization to create and promote a network of affiliated centers in the ASPAC region