The College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences at Southwest University (SWU) was established in July 2020 through the merger of the former School of Biotechnology and the former School of Textile and Clothing. Combining disciplines from agriculture, science, engineering, and arts, the college traces its roots to the Sericulture Program at Sichuan University (established in 1906) and the Sericulture Department at Southwest College of Agriculture.
The college offers undergraduate majors in sericulture, biotechnology, biomass science and engineering, textile engineering, light chemical engineering, and clothing and dress design. Notably, the Sericulture program is recognized as a national first-class professional major and offers a “sericulture + biotechnology” dual-degree option. The college grants master’s and doctoral degrees in four first-level disciplines: Animal Husbandry, Biology, Textile Science and Engineering, and Design. It also offers an interdisciplinary doctoral program in Fiber Materials and Engineering linked to its master’s program in Textile Science and Engineering. Additionally, the college hosts two postdoctoral research stations in Animal Husbandry and Biology.
Its training and research system integrates modern biological, agricultural, and engineering sciences, focusing on the development of animals, plants, microorganisms, and their products (biomass). The college’s research addresses the entire value chain of sericulture, silk, textiles, and apparel, with a focus on renewable resources and the health industry.
The college is supported by key research platforms, including the National Key Laboratory of Efficient Breeding and Utilization of Resource Insects, the Innovative Key Base of Silkworm Systematic Biology, the MARA Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Breeding, and the Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education for Silkworm Resources and Molecular Improvement. It also hosts the National Breeding Center of Morus, the Chongqing Biomass Fiber Materials and Modern Textile Engineering Center, and the “One Belt, One Road” International Sericulture Science and Technology Innovation Institute. Notably, it houses the world’s largest gene bank of the domestic silkworm, designated as China’s National Silkworm Genetic Resources Gene Bank in 2022.
With more than 150 full-time faculty and researchers, the college enrolls over 1,600 students, including international students, and more than 600 master’s and doctoral students. It also participates in the joint China-foreign biotechnology training program with the University of Western Australia, enrolling about 60 students annually.
The college emphasizes cultural preservation and innovation, maintaining long-term research collaborations and exchange programs with institutions across the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and other countries, as well as Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Over the years, it has sent numerous faculty members and postgraduate students abroad for further studies and cooperative research.
More information (in Chinese): http://csfzswz.swu.edu.cn/xygk/xyjj.htm.
