BELGIAN CO-ORDINATED COLLECTIONS OF MICRO-ORGANISMS
The Belgian Co-ordinated Collections of Micro-organisms (BCCMTM) constitute a consortium of four complementary research based culture collections serving the scientific and industrial communities on a worldwide basis, while keeping the Belgian needs especially in focus.
The BCCM collections underpin activities in a wide variety of key economic sectors. Some, such as agriculture, food, human and animal health, the environment, fine and bulk chemistry are rather obvious. Others are less expected, e.g. the wood, paint and textile industries, principally in the area of biodeterioration, or the service industries, where 'bioaudits' of the working environment help to reduce the incidence of 'sick building syndrome'.
Since the publication of its first complete series of catalogues in 1989, the BCCM has welcomed annually some 300 new clients. Both academics and a significant number of SMEs and large companies put their trust in the BCCM consortium.
BCCM is supported by the Belgian
Federal Science Policy Office and operates under a co-operation agreement
with the Belgian Regional and Community Authorities.