Besides the utilizing the licensing rights of CHOOH2 to other corporations, Biotechnica has a multitude of Bioware products on the market.
Overview
When the fuel crisis began to affect the industrialized community in the late 1990s, Biotechnica, then a small firm with only one office, came up with the answer: CHOOH2 (pronounced 'chew two'). CHOOH2 (not its actual chemical formula) is a complex grain alcohol produced by genetically engineered yeasts and wheat strains created by Biotechnica.[4]
The potential of CHOOH2 was realized almost immediately after it was introduced, and within a few years all fuel burning vehicles and power plants had converted to the new fuel.
Despite holding global patents, Biotechnica lacked the production facilities to meet global demand, forcing it to license production to several large agribusinesses and petro-corporations. These transactions made Biotechnica a very wealthy, but still small, company. Companies such SovOil and Petrochem have the exclusive rights into producing the fuel.[5]
Its labs have provided much of the tech that enabled the Pacifica Confederation to develop new bio-engineered "replacement species," and Biotechnica is active in restoring both animals and habitat throughout the blighted environments of this era.[6]
In 2020, it is looking into more breakthroughs and is constantly expanding. Biotechnica holds facilities in Italy, UK, France, US, and Japan.
History
1990s
Biotechnica started as a small corporation based out of Rome, Italy. However, in 1991, amidst an energy crisis, Biotechnica developed a substitute for fossil fuel that would end up being called CHOOH2, changing the world forever. They weren't a big corporation and weren't able to keep up with the supply and demand the world would need. As a result, they sold the exclusive license for the production and distribution of the product to Petrochem. CHOOH2 became the standard fuel around the world. Capitalizing on its success, the board of directors sold the license to 14 other manufacturers around the world, However, Petrochem was still responsible for 60% of the world's supply[2] with the largest amount of soil to grow the yeast needed for production.
Biotechnica's products raised their capital by a huge margin and gave them the status of a megacorporation. Biotechnica started making deals with Arasaka, and settled on a mutual beneficial agreement, providing troops in exchange for exclusive biological weapons.
2000s
Their second discovery was kept secret due to it being illegal in the majority of countries. In 2004, Francis Young was successful in human cloning experiments, however it wasn't until 16 years later in 2020 that he succeeded in producing the first self-aware fully functional human clone by implanting a construct personality. Initially, this development was artificial, but soon enough they began experimenting to insert natural digitized personalities in clones using something similar in tech to the Soulkiller. The main R&D cloning facility of Biotechnica located in Night City had a staff of about 200 scientists and security.
The biggest goal for Biotechnica was to bring back the flora and the fauna that changed significantly in the 1990s due to climate changes. They hold facilities worldwide specializing in this field, slowly trying to rebuild the environment. In the 2020s they created a natural park in Night City known as Lake Park. They also cloned animals in an attempt to preserve them and sell to people for a high profit margin.
2022
The Fourth Corporate War saw Biotechnica remain as neutral as it possibly could, allowing them to get through the war without many problems. They supplied Militech and Arasaka with weapons and other biological equipment. However due to their previous deals with Arasaka and their continued protection support from the company, Arasaka got many exclusive devices behind the scenes.
Equipment & Resources 2020
Biotechnica is a rich corporation from Europe and has a heap of resources at their disposal.
- 10 AV-4 Assault Vehicles
- 5 Corporate Jets
- 3 Osprey II Aircraft
- One Boeing C-25 Heavy Cargo Jet
In addition, each office maintains two helicopters and a surgery capable infirmary. Due to the worldwide importance of its developments, Biotechnica has a fair amount of power in the political community, and it can usually obtain whatever military equipment it needs, although some items may take more time to procure than others. Biotechnica has one orbital research workstation.[5]