The School of Biology and Biological Engineering (BBE) at South China University of Technology (SCUT) was established in 2004 and is located on the University Town Campus. The School traces its academic roots back to the mid-20th century, with the Fermentation Engineering major founded in 1952, the Department of Biochemistry in 1962, the Institute of Bioengineering in 1986, and the Department of Bioengineering established in 1997 under the School of Food and Bioengineering. In 2011, BBE was authorized to confer doctoral degrees in the first-level discipline of Biology, which was designated a Key Discipline of Guangdong Province in 2012. A Postdoctoral Research Station in Biology was approved in 2019.

BBE has built a strong disciplinary foundation. The first-level discipline of Biology comprises four second-level disciplines, while the professional doctoral programs in Bioengineering and Pharmaceutical Engineering add a strong application- and industry-oriented dimension to academic development. In 2013, Biology and Biochemistry entered the top 1% of the ESI global rankings, with continued improvement, reaching the top 20.81% in 2024. In 2025, Microbiology also entered the top 1% of ESI rankings. BBE further supports the advancement of several other high-ranking ESI disciplines at SCUT.

BBE offers three undergraduate programs—Bioengineering, Biotechnology, and Pharmaceutical Engineering—all officially recognized as National-Level First-Class Undergraduate Programs. The Bioengineering program has ranked among the world’s top 100 in the QS World University Rankings for three consecutive years. In 2020, the Biotechnology program was selected for the Ministry of Education’s “Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan” (Qiangji Program). In 2024, Biology was designated a Guangdong Provincial Innovation Experimental Zone for Top-Talent Cultivation in Basic Disciplines, one of only five biology-related programs in the province. BBE currently enrolls 1,363 students, including 637 graduate students and 726 undergraduates.

BBE occupies more than 15,000 square meters of office and laboratory space and is equipped with advanced research facilities. It hosts seven Provincial- and Ministerial-level Key Laboratories and Research Centers, including the Ministry of Education International Joint Laboratory for Synthetic Biology and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, the Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Low-Carbon Synthetic Biotechnology, the Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Enzymes and Green Industrial Processing, the Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Biopharmaceutical Engineering, the Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Guangdong Higher Education Institutions, and the Synthetic Biology Research Center. The total value of scientific research instruments and equipment exceeds RMB 100 million.

BBE currently has 72 faculty and staff members, including 45 full-time faculty members (27 professors and 16 associate professors), with 96% holding senior academic titles. More than ten faculty members have been selected for National- and Provincial-level Talent Programs. Most faculty members have established long-term collaborative relationships with leading universities and research institutions overseas, including partners in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong. BBE also sponsors faculty annually for overseas academic visits and collaborative research.

Adhering to the deep integration of science, engineering, and medicine, BBE addresses major national strategies and the development needs of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, actively promoting the integrated advancement of education, research, and talent cultivation. BBE is committed to nurturing future-oriented, application-driven leaders in the biological sciences. Since 2009, the Genomic Science Innovation Program has enrolled 146 SCUT undergraduates across 17 cohorts, resulting in 161 student authorships and 136 SCI-indexed publications, including 44 papers in top-tier journals (CNS and sub-journals) authored by 67 students.

Focusing on the frontiers of biotechnology, BBE conducts innovative research in synthetic biology, life-science big data and artificial intelligence, biomedicine, green biomanufacturing, microbiomics, and health. BBE advances key technological breakthroughs to support China’s bioindustry and the development of the Greater Bay Area. Over the past five years, BBE has undertaken 283 research projects with total funding exceeding RMB 230 million, obtained more than 214 authorized invention patents, and received two major scientific and technological awards. Faculty members have published over 500 high-quality papers indexed in major citation databases, including numerous publications in top-tier journals.