In order to prepare a preliminary analysis of the Brazilian National Innovation System in Biotechnology (NISB), we conducted several interviews and used e-mail questionnaires with different kinds of actors in the system, i.e. university teachers, financing agents, businessmen, etc. The study suggests that Brazil has a few important strong points, like the scientific tradition in biotechnology, the financing to basic research and the strength of the agricultural sector in the last decade. But there is still a long way to go; sector regulation, the start up companies financing and the cultural aspect of business aversion by researchers seem to be the main obstacles for the country to become a significant player in this sector