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The Biotechnology program is a special focus within the biological sciences at Braunschweig. In a combination of biology with chemistry and process engineering a strongly demanded program with rigorous enrolment restrictions was established.
Biotechnology is the integrated application of knowledge from biology, chemistry, and process engineering to employ cell cultures or parts thereoff for technical processes.
With the establishment of the Biotechnology program in 1987, the Technical University at Braunschweig was one of the first Universities in Germany to transform Biotechnology, which could be chosen as a special area at many Universities, into an own study program. The students obtain a diploma-degree in Biotechnology. With the incorporation of regional research institutions outside of the University, the natural sciences biology and chemistry were combined with engineering, in particular process engineering, to achieve an efficient 10 semester study program.
Because of the variety of topics a large number of teachers are required: Today around 190 students (with male and female equally represented) are being looked after by 24 professors and a large number of assistants.
The institutes that are primarily involved in the program teach and perform research in the following areas:
Genetics
Microbiology
Technical Biochemistry
Technical Chemistry
Process Engineering
Cell and Molecular Biology
A big asset for the students is the fact that most of the research groups involved in the program, regardless of beeing oriented more towards Biology, Chemistry or Process Engineering, are beeing placed together in the modern bio-centre of the University. In the bio-centre lectures and courses are perfomed and many study- and diploma-theses as well as dissertations are generated. The short distances allow a close interdisciplinary collaboration.
To complement the excisting expertise, many teachers come from one of the three major regional research institutions outside of the University:
Particularly the researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research perform many lectures that are mandatory for the Biotechnology program. Furthermore they supervise many study- and diploma-theses as well as dissertations. This local situation naturally generates a large variety of options to specialize in the later part of the program.
Some institutes cooperate closely with industry and perform research that is primarily application oriented. Furthermore, study- and diploma-theses can also be performed in industry and outher institutes outside of the University.