The colors of biotechnology in Ecuador: A general overview

Biotechnology is the manipulation of living organisms, systems, and processes for the benefit of society, the environment, and industry. Due to the expansion of the area of biotechnology in the last years, a code of colors or rainbow has been developed to organize the wide range of scientific applications. The three most important areas of biotechnology are green, involved in the agricultural sector; red, involved in life and health science processes; and blue, which is biotechnology related to applications in marine and aquatic environments. This work aims to study the track of biotechnology production in Ecuador over a 15-year period. To that goal, a systematic and exhaustive procedure was used to obtain, classify, and analyze a dataset and information related to the biotechnology scientific production to draw the state-of-art biotechnology in Ecuador. Our results set Ecuador as the main green and red biotechnology producer among the countries belonging to the Andean Community of Nations (CAN). This study highlights the increasing tendency in green and red biotechnology production, which ensures an increasing economic impact within the country. Furthermore, it shows how this activity has developed research network collaboration among Ecuadorian universities, research and development centers, and overseas institutions in countries such as Spain and the United States. This unique work outlines the general biotech production in Ecuador over 15 years, in both private and public centers, and promotes the importance of funding and investment in the area.