History of establishment and development

 

The Institute of Food and Biotechnology (IFB) was established on October 10th, 2022 on the basis of a combination of the Institute of Biotechnology Research and Development. Can Tho University and Department of Food Technology, College of Agriculture, Can Tho University. The predecessor of the Biotechnology Research & Development Institute was the Microbiology Laboratory established in the 1960s by Prof. Dr. Tran Phuoc Duong. This laboratory belongs to the Department of Botany - Faculty of Science, Can Tho University. In 1981, in order to exploit the abundant source of biological nitrogen in the Mekong Delta, the Board of Directors of Can Tho University established the Center for Bio-Protein Research. In 1991, the Minister of Education and Training signed a decision to change the name to the Center for Research and Development of Biotechnology under Can Tho University and in 1995 to change the name of the Center to Biotechnology Institute of Research and Development under Can Tho University. The Institute was in charge of training in Biotechnology, Microbiology at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. As for the Department of Food Technology, established in 1978 with the original name of the Department of Processing under the Faculty of Animal Husbandry - Fisheries - Processing. In 1981, the Department of Processing was separated to establish the Faculty of Agricultural Products Processing & Preservation, then renamed the Faculty of Food Technology. Since 1996, according to the development requirements of Can Tho University, the Faculty of Food Technology has been transformed into the Department of Food Technology under the Faculty of Agriculture, Can Tho University. The department is in charge of training human resources in the fields of Food Technology, Post-Harvest Technology at undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels for the Mekong Delta and the whole country.


Currently, the Institute of Food and Biotechnology includes 4 affiliated Departments. The Department of Molecular Biology manages the training program for Advanced Biotechnology, Master of Biotechnology, Doctor of Biotechnology. The Department of Microbiology Technology manages the training program for the major in Biotechnology, Master of Microbiology, Doctor of Microbiology. The Department of Food Technology manages the training programs of Bachelor of Food Technology, High Quality Food Technology, Master of Food Technology and PhD in Food Technology and Post-Harvest Technology Department of Food Technology. Management of the training program of Mass Post-Harvest Technology, Post-Harvest Technology Master's Degree. The total number of students and trainees studying at the Institute is about 3000 people. The Institute's human resources include 69 officials and employees who are trained at home country and abroad. Among them, there are 46 teaching staffs with 3 professors and 12 associate professors, 23 PhDs and 8 masters (of which 4 are studying doctoral). In terms of facilities, the Institute is newly invested in RLC-zone B building with an area of > 5000 m2, including 17 research laboratories with full modern equipment, meeting the needs of training quality human resources. High quality in the fields of Biotechnology, Microbiology, Food Technology and Post-Harvest Technology. The Institute has many cooperations in training and scientific research with local institute and oversea university, including many prominent regional and world leading universities such as Michigan State University (US), University of Leuven, Ghent University (Belgium) and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology (Japan). Every year, the Institute has many scientific works published in Local and international journals with ISI/Scopus standards. The function and mission of the Institute is to train high-quality human resources, conduct scientific research and serve the community in the Mekong Delta and the whole country in the fields of biotechnology, microbiology, and food technology and post-harvest technology.

 

 

The vision of the Institute of Food and Biotechnology

The Institute of Food and Biotechnology will become one of the training, research and technology transfer centers, with excellent service to the community, contributing to providing high-quality and advanced human resources in the field of Biotechnology, Microbiology, Food Technology and Post-Harvest Technology for the Mekong Delta and the country.

 

The mission of the Institute of Food and Biotechnology

Along with the mission of Can Tho University, the Institute of Food and Biotechnology has main missions as follows:

- To become the leading training center for high-quality human resources in the fields of Biotechnology, Microbiology, Food Technology and Post-Harvest Technology in the Mekong Delta and the country, meeting the increasing demand of society;

- To become the most advanced research and technology transfer Institute in the fields of Biotechnology, Microbiology, Food Technology and Post-Harvest Technology in order to provide optimal solutions for the fields related to the manufacturing business of the Mekong Delta and the country;

- To become an active bridge connecting Can Tho University with other research centers in the Mekong Delta, promoting the development of advanced technology among partners and related parties in the fields of Biotechnology, Microbiology, Food Technology and Post-Harvest Technology in the Mekong Delta, the whole country as well as around the world.

 1. HISTORY OF ESTABLISHMENT 

Name of Biotechnology Research and Development Institute was initially Department of Microbiology founded by Prof Tran Phuoc Duong since the 1960s. Prof Tran Phuoc Duong also held concurrently Dean of the College of Science at that time. The Department of Microbiology met abundantly to the demands of the society like: bread yeast, mushroom yeast, microbial fertilizers. To exploit abundant biological nitrogen sources in the Mekong Delta, the Can Tho University (CTU) Rectorate established Biological Nitrogen Fixation Research Center in 1981. The primary mission of the Center was to study the exploitation of biological nitrogen, such as single-cell protein, yeasts, or biological nitrogen fixation from the symbiosis between rhizobia and legumes such as soybean, peanuts, etc…. Besides, The Center has been responsible for teaching in general microbiology, soil microbiology, animal microbiology, aquatic microbiology, industrial microbiology, and in supervising the theses for students not only from other colleges within CTU but also from other centers and institutes in the Mekong Delta. The Center also had a permission from the Ministry of Education and Training for training of doctoral level in microbiology (1985).

In 1991 the Minister of Education and Training signed a decision to change the name of the Center into Biotechnology Research and Development Center belonged to the CTU Rectorate. Later, the Decision No. 2960/GD&DT on August 26, 1995 the Minister of Education and Training renamed the Center into Biotechnology Research and Development Institute (BiRDI) belonged to the CTU rectorate.

From the retirement of Prof Tran Phuoc Duong in 2003, Can Tho University appointed Dr Ha Thanh Toan to be the director of the BirDI until October 2008. 

2. FUNCTION AND OBJECTIVES 

* Function

Function of BiRDI is doing research, transfering technology and training on Biotechnology in order to serve for production with the purpose of increasing income and improve living conditions of  farmers in the Mekong Delta. Besides, biotechnology research and development  is also a part of training program for BSc level and further higher levels (MSc, PhD).

* Objectives

The main objectives of BiRDI are :

- Integrate activities in scientific research, training and technology transfer on Biotechnology meeting to the requirements of production in the Mekong Delta.

- Establish and expand research projects on Biotechnology relating to problems in the Mekong Delta. In order to serve scientific research and technology transfer, BiRDI is actively seeking and effectively developing the budget supported by the government and provincial collaborations, companies and international cooperation.

- Offer BSc. and MSc. in Biotechnology and PhD-Microbiology program.

- Take a part in training for undergraduate and graduate students from CTU as well as from other colleges/schools in the Mekong Delta, conducting experiments for their theses at BiRDI, using the facilities and under the guidance of BiRDI staffs, offering the advanced BSc course in Biotechnology.

- Do research and transfer the technology relating to Biotechnology.

- Transfer new developed technology to improve traditional processes and to develop advanced technology serving economic and social development, emerging to regional and international market.

- Manage and improve quality of products in the Mekong Delta in molecular level for microorganisms, plants, animals, post-harvest technology, foods and environment. It is the scientific markers for product certification in nationwide and international.

- Manage and exploit effectively facilities of BiRDI, use in effectiveness the investment of central and local government, international organizations and with enthusiastic effort of staff members, BiRDI has developed the human resource, upgraded the facilities, transfer high technologies and trained staff with advanced knowledge of Biotechnology.

 3. ORGANIZATION 

* Board of directors: 01 director for general management; 01 vice director for permanent management in production and finance; 01 vice director for research and international collaboration.

* Groups of specialization:

1) Molecular Biotechnology:

Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Laboratory of Enzyme-Protein

Laboratory of Plant-Molecular Biology

2) Food Biotechnology

Laboratory of Food Microbiology

Laboratory of Food Biochemistry

3) Microbiology

Laboratory of Microbiology

Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology

4) Official group

Head of the office responsible for organization, equipment and chemical agents

Deputy Head of the Office charging academic affairs.

5) Service and Production group

Trial production from research works

Advertising and transfering technologies

 4. MATERIAL FACILITIES 

BiRDI has 12 laboratories with a total of 1,200m2, including service rooms such as offices, stores, meeting room, computer room (50m2), one production pilot (130 m2) and one pilot plant to produce new products to serve society (400 m2). Most of facilities were built up at the beginning of the year 1980s, some of them have been newly established or renovated to be available with new activities and modern equipment. In 2002, Minister of Education and Training accepted the project “Strengthening the facilities for the microbial laboratory of BiRDI” with budget of 3,58 billions VND. The Rectorate also assigned for BiRDI 2/3 of the three-floor building with 1.440m2 to establish the center for examining and detecting the microbial pathogen by modern techniques on plants, shrimp, food etc., and other research activities.

High Quality and Advanced Program

  • Advanced Program in Biotechnology
  • High Quality Program in Food Technology

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037398
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37398

INSTITUE OF FOOD AND BIOTECHNOLOGY - CAN THO UNIVERSITY

 

Address: Research Laboratory Complex (RLC) Building - Zone B, Campus II, 3/2 street, Xuan Khanh Ward, Ninh Kieu district, Can Tho city.

Tel: (84) 02923 835961 Fax: (84) 02923 830260

Email: vcnshtp@ctu.edu.vn