e-Biosafety

From BINAS

UNIDO e-Biosafety Training Programme NEWS

Registration is open for the UNIDO e-Biosafety courses 2008/2009 at

• Ghent University (Belgium)
• Marche Polytechnic University (Ancona, Italy)

Please refer to the Course Status Table for further information.

An International Training Network

Wide-scale commercial applications of biotechnology make it imperative to put in place appropriate regulatory procedures in ways that sustain and safeguard public health and the environment without compromising technological advancement and forfeiting potential benefits arising from the application of biotechnology. Compliance of national regulations with the provisions of the Cartagena Protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity as well as with the relevant agreements of WTO have become pivotal points for the long-term development and deployment of the technology. It is now widely accepted that the sound implementation of biosafety regulation in the developing world will not be possible without specialised skills in biotechnology risk assessment and risk management.

Recognising this need, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has established a network of regional centres providing comprehensive training in biosafety. The network comprises of at the University on Concepcion, Chile, the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Ghent University, Belgium, the Marche Polytechnic University in Ancona, Italy and the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. African trainees are supported through Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA), Nairobi, Kenya, and receive their academic accreditation through the Universities or Ghent and Ancona, respectively. These regional centres establish the first South - South and North - South capacity building network for biosafety training and as such constitute knowledge support centres for the implementation of national regulations, the Cartagena Protocol and the WTO agreements such as SPS and TBT.

The biosafety courses given by the network centres are the first ones, worldwide, that offer an academic accreditation at the post-graduate level. The mission of the network is to provide training at the highest possible level to:

• developing country researchers, government and industry professionals involved in the assessment and management of risks related to biotechnology-derived products and services;
• individuals engaged in public policy, legal and ethical aspects or regulation of biotechnology;
• the next generation of biosafety trainers.

The training programme is based on sophisticated distance learning methodologies and makes extensive use of computer-based systems for risk assessment of biotechnology-derived products. As designed, the programme allows for minimal disruption of trainees' on-going professional activities.

The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, through Resolution 1999/61 adopted on 30 July 1999 and renewed through Resolution: ECOSOC 2004/68, gives UNIDO, amongst other UN bodies and other international institutions, the mandate to "exchange information on biosafety regulation and capacity-building, including through case studies on (a) partnerships in biotechnology, (b) biosafety, (c) bioethics and (d) approaches to biotechnology and intellectual property rights issues".

E-Biosafety Courses

e-Biosafety TRAINING	Course Info	Registration Status
Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy	The 2008/2009 course starts tentatively on 5 November 2008.	Registration open! Please click here to proceed! Applications are accepted until 15 October 2008!
Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil	The 2007/2008 course started April 2007.	Registration closed. No active call.
Universidad de Concepción, Chile	The 2007/2008 course started in January 2008.	Registration closed. No active call.
Ghent University, Belgium	The 2008/2009 course starts tentatively on 29 Sepember 2008	Registration open! Please click here to proceed! Applications are accepted until 31 August 2008!
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	The 2008/2009 course is scheduled for the second half of 2008.	Registration closed. No active call.