Established in 1994, the Institute of Biological Science and Technology was the first seed planted by National Chiao Tung University to develop interdisciplinary study in biomedicine and informatics. In the past two decades, the seed has sprouted, developed and flourished into a forest. The successful germination of this seed can be traced back to the foresight of Professor Chi-Fu Den, former president of NCTU; Professor Chun-Yen Chang, former Dean of the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering and successor of NCTU President Den; Professor Chu De-San, former Dean of the College of Science; and many faculty members and colleagues of National Chiao Tung University. They observed the gradual international formation of the research atmosphere in biotechnology and realized the technological vision of impending transformation in the industry. They appointed Professor Pien-Chien Huang and Professor Ru-Chih Chow Huang, academicians in the Division of Life Sciences of the Academia Sinica to assist with the planning of the first biotechnology related department in National Chiao Tung University. The development of the biotechnological department has undergone many changes and integrations. From five teachers, namely Professors Cheng Chang, Yang Yuh-Shyong, Ho Hsiao-Tai, Ching-Ping Tseng and Lin Tiao-Yin in the Chu Ming Building on the Bo’ai Campus when it was first established, the department formally became the College of Biological Science and Technology in 2003. Currently, it comprises one department and three institutes, namely the Department of Biological Science and Technology, the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, and the Institute of Bioinformatics and System Biology, with a total faculty of 39 teachers.

Chiao Tung University’s College of Biological Science and Technology does not have a long history. However, it features teachers from many different professional fields such as biology, medicine, information, electrical engineering, materials, chemistry, physics, and chemical engineering. This characteristic enables the College of Biological Science and Technology to offer a diversity of courses in biomedicine, information and electronics, and science and technology and achieve a direction that emphasizes both basic research and technological applications. Chiao Tung University not only features excellent electronics and information expertise. It is also characterized by groundbreaking and interdisciplinary industry-academia collaborations

From sowing, sprouting and flourishing, the nuggets of history over the course of development of the Chiao Tung University College of Biological Science and Technology are recorded in the book, The History of the College of Biological Science and Technology Special Issue published in 2014. To fully recall the challenges of the past, teachers and students from the College of Biological Science and Technology had decided to collect oral histories by visiting relevant figures who had helped to establish the Institute of Biological Science and Technology, the College of Biological Science and Technology and other departments and institutes of biological science and technology. These interviews and records allowed these important behind the scenes trail blazers to once again step forward into the spotlight to reveal the paths taken. In addition, the publication of this special issue is also an opportunity to express our highest respect and gratitude for their many years of selfless and dedicated trail blazing for the Chiao Tung University College of Biological Science and Technology.