The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) is a growing phenomenon. Located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, RGCB began in 1990 amongst humble surroundings as a small charitable society called the Centre for Development of Education, Science and Technology (C-DEST). In 1991, recognizing its potential, the C-DEST was made a "Grant-in-Aid" institute of the Government of Kerala and renamed as Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Development of Education, Science and Technology (RGC-DEST), becoming the first institute in the country to be named after Sri Rajiv Gandhi, the young illustrious and visionary former Prime Minster of India. On April 18, 1994 the Government of Kerala took a landmark decision to restructure the institute into a comprehensive biotechnology center and thus was created the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology.

Biotechnology, in the simplest and broadest sense, is a series of enabling technologies involving manipulation of living organisms or their sub cellular components to provide useful products, processes or services. Although biotechnology is not a very new concept the level of complexity and precision that is now available in the scientist's armamentarium to manipulate living organisms has reached new brilliant heights. This new biotechnology is an integrated multidisciplinary field, which will have significant impact on living organisms, human populations and entire biosystems.