Microbiology and Industrial Products

The selection of problems for discussion in the group was based on the background papers and the expertise of the people present. Therefore the topics selected should not be considered a priority list with regard to the field in general; especially some aspects in biochemical engineering and industrial fermentation were underrepresented. In view of industrial application it was felt that existing curricula in basic science at universities and organizational barriers in industry have not encouraged the communication between different disciplines now needed to establish complex biotechnological processes of the next generation. An integration of the knowledge available in several fields and a systems approach will eventually save time and money and yield more economical processes than attempts to optimize single stages only. To improve communication and overcome language barriers between disciplines, training grants for postdoctorates, visiting scientists, etc., should be made available to allow work for a period of time in a laboratory primarily concerned with a different discipline. In the future, teaching of major subjects such as genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, and biochemical engineering should also be complemented by some introduction into the other sectors of biotechnology.