The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) is housed in two buildings on the University of Guelph campus, west of Gordon St., between the Animal Science Bldg and the Bovey Building. 

BIO represents a unique multi-faceted institute, dedicated to the study of biodiversity at multiple levels of biological organization. As the birthplace of DNA barcoding, much of the work carried out at BIO is dedicated to the advancement of this field of research. 

We envision a world where anyone can identify any species, on the spot, in an instant, anywhere on the planet. Our mission is to empower humanity with the knowledge, technologies and applications needed to identify, understand, monitor and preserve the richness of life, and use this capacity to address major social and economic issues.

We share this planet with millions of species, many at risk of extinction within this century unless decisive actions are taken. Scientists estimate that at least 80% of living species are still unknown. How can we preserve what we don’t know? BIO’s research efforts are focused on solving this fundamental problem and developing applications to leverage  this new knowledge to benefit society.