Edition 8 - November, 2000

The UNESCO / Biotechnology Action Council (BAC) programme

he UNESCO/Biotechnology Action Council that was established in 1990 to promote education and training in aquatic and environmental biotechnologies in developing countries. This programme, which is in synergy with the MIRCEN programme, encompasses six different activities: it distributes complimentary copies of peer-reviewed manuals and texts to scientists and reference libraries in developing countries, finances short-term fellowships for young scientists to spend up to three months in an advanced research laboratory, supports training courses and workshops for dissemination of recent skills and knowledge, allows biotechnological communities in the least developed countries to invite specialists to lecture or conduct laboratory experiments in the host institution through the biotechnology professorships scheme, and allows specific national and regional activities of the BAC programme to be conducted through UNESCO Chairs in several centres. Up to the present, it has designated five centres as regional Biotechnology Education and Training centres (BETCENs).

As a MIRCEN, BCCM participates in two activities. It offers training opportunities in the framework of the short-term fellowships scheme and responds to the requests of institutions in developing countries in the framework of the Biotechnology Professorships.

Further details can be obtained from the UNESCO website: www.unesco.org

For enquiries about the opportunities at BCCM contact P. Desmeth at desmeth@mbla.ucl.ac.be, who will forward requests to the right BCCM collection.

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Contents Edition 8 - November, 2000