International Plan Biotechnology Outreach

Date
September 2015 to September 2019
Countries
Keywords
innovative farming
biotechnology
industrial development
Institutions
African Biotechnology Network of Expertise (Burkina Faso)
Research fields
Agriculture and Food Sciences

Mission

Modern plant biotechnology holds many of the potential solutions for sustainable agriculture. However, converting this promise into practice in less developed regions and emerging economies requires a concerted effort in training and in access to the latest technological developments and the design of effective biosafety and regulatory mechanisms.

The mission of IPBO is fourfold:

Communication

IPBO informs public about the sustainability of biotechnology by giving presentations at (inter)national conferences, in (inter)national institutes and organizations, and by publishing statements, interviews and articles in (inter)national news papers. IPBO is committed to engage in a constructive debate on green biotechnology to inform and provide science-based, factual information on plant GM products and technologies

Training

Training and education of students from developing countries is essential to empower local biotech capacities. IPBO organizes yearly a postgraduate course “Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology” in cooperation with UNIDO and specialist courses, workshops and symposia.

Networking

Situated  at the Flanders Biotech Valley, IPBO is a central node of an international network for R&D in plant biotechnology. Access to frontier R&D, strategic networking with a multi- and cross-disciplinary integrated approach, and strengthening public-private partnerships in a global context are among the major strengths of IPBO.
IPBO and UNIDO, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, established the International Industrial Biotechnology Network (IIBN).

Project Development

IPBO wants to establish cooperation between biotechnology institutes in Flanders and developing and emering economies. Therefore, IPBO works closely with the VIB centers of scientific excellence and other relevant technology providers in Flanders to promote transfer of relevant enabling technologies to R&D centers in developing countries.