The Minas Gerais State Network of Biotechnology for Agriculture (RMBA) includes Embrapa Maize & Sorghum (Sete Lagoas), Embrapa Dairy Cattle (Juiz de Fora), Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Veterinary College of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (EV / UFMG), Minas Gerais Agricultural Research Corporation (EPAMIG) and René Rachou Research Institute (Fiocruz Minas). The strategic objective of RMBA is the technological qualification of the State of Minas Gerais in the areas of Functional Genomics, Molecular Genetics and Biosafety, in order to give support to the sustainable growth of the Minas Gerais agricultural sector. This is considered to be an important role for the State to play, because if this task is relegated only to multinational groups - as there is no research and development program in this area being conducted by private groups in Minas Gerais - the State runs the risk of seeing their interests neglected, which would lead to a decrease in their ability to compete in domestic and foreign markets. It should also be noted that State participation in financing the generation of new biotechnological products and processes of interest to the agricultural sector is necessary to enable the benefits to reach the State's small farmers, which are often overlooked in agricultural research and development programs of major international laboratories, according to literature data. RMBA has set general and specific objectives. Embrapa Dairy Cattle, along with other institutions, was inserted in the following objectives: (1) To implement and adapt a State biosafety infrastructure for the evaluation of genetically modified plants and animals and for testing with recombinant antigens, including the upgrade of a laboratory for manipulation of animal cells and genetically modified embryos at Embrapa Dairy Cattle; (2) To identify genes and genomic regions that control characteristics of economic interest for Minas Gerais agriculture; (3) To prospect, identify, clone and characterize candidate genes using molecular and bioinformatics tools, including analysis of candidate gene expression for disease resistance and animal production characteristics, and the production and implantation of genetically modified bovine embryos; (4) To develop diagnostic kits for animal infectious diseases, including the assessment of biosecurity of genetically modified organisms for environmental impact, human and animal nutrition, validating molecular markers for traits of resistance to biotic stress and tolerance to abiotic stress and of productivity in commercial herds; and (5) To optimize and organize a bioinformatics framework to make the following applications and platforms available to RMBA: Phred, Phrap, Consed, Cross_Match, Blast, InterProScan; Oracle and MySQL databases, GUS, GARSA and Sabia databases, and other programs of interest; as well as annotate and analyze DNA sequences, structure a database that allows the integration of molecular, genetic, physiological and phenotypic information and the integration among laboratories and institutions participating in the RMBA and, finally, make available to RMBA user accounts with access to sequence analysis programs.