生物技術（biotechnology）因其涵蓋範圍廣、經濟效益高、技術密集與低能源依存度等特性，被世界各國認為是二十一世紀最具發展潛力的新興產業。又根據內生經濟成長理論，新技術的發明是經濟成長的主要動力，因此生物技術對國家產業發展將有重要的影響。有鑑於此，本研究利用資料包絡法（DEA）與Malmquist生產力指數，探討臺灣生物技術產業之效率與生產力表現，以瞭解臺灣的生技產業發展及其在市場之地位。 本文研究樣本為臺灣1991、1996及2001年各產業，資料來源為臺灣行政院主計處之農林漁牧業及普查資料，共197細類行業別。由於DEA要求「相同類型」的資料條件，因此本文先將197項細項產業區分為九大類別，以各產業別不同之效率前緣，推估其相對效率值。而為說明生技產業之效率與生產力表現，本文再進一步將此197細類行業分為生技與非生技產業二大類。實證結果顯示： （1）臺灣產業的效率及生產力表現，生技產業比非生技產業好。 （2）生技產業之生產力表現中，以農業表現最佳。 （3）就技術效率變動而言，生技產業及非生技產業皆有提昇；但在技術進步及生產力則二者皆表現不佳。 （4）製造業中，電子業的效率值高於生技產業的平均效率值。

Biotechnology industry is considered to be one of major high-technology industries in the future. Biotechnology can be applied to agriculture, foods, pharmaceuticals, special chemical, environmental protection, and ocean industry. Biotechnology is also one of industries with higher potential development in twenty-one century for its significant economic benefit, technology intensive, lower pollution, and lower energy usage. Due to its natural characters, biotechnology is deemed as a new technology revolution after gas and oil industry, aero industry, nuclear power industry and information technology industry. In this study, we adopt the DEA method and Malmquist total factor productivity (TFP)index to compare the differences of their efficiency and productivity index's results in biotechnology industry and non-biotechnology industry. The information in this study is obtained from 197 Taiwanese 4 digit industries for the period 1991, 1996, and 2001. Our empirical results from the DEA and Malmquist total factor productivity approach are summarized as follows: (1) Biotechnology industry has higher technical change, technical efficiency change and Malmquist total factor productivity than those in non-biotechnology industry. (2) Agriculture industry has highest Malmquist total factor productivity in the biotechnology industry. (3) Based on the Malmquist total factor productivity (TFP) index, we find that biotechnology industry and non-biotechnology industry's technical efficiency change has increased from 1991 to 2001, but the productivity and technical change have dropped in the same period. (4) In manufacturing industry, electrical machinery industry has higher technical efficiency than those in biotechnology industry.