NIFS announced that it hosted the ‘3rd interagency-symposium on national culture collections’ at Paradise Hotel Busan on April 17 (Thur). 

Eight culture collections* from six government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), joined the symposium for mutually beneficial cooperation and discussions on academic exchanges between culture collections.

* Korean Culture collection of Aquatic Microorganisms (KoCAM); Korean Collection for Type Cultures (KCTC); Korea Veterinary Culture Collection (KVCC); Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC); National Culture Collection for Pathogens (NCCP); National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBRbiobank); Freshwater Bioresources Culture Collection (FBCC); Bank of Bioresources from Island and Coast (BOBIC) 

The symposium included discussions on a wide range of topics, such as △cases of culture collections operation at home and abroad, △a comprehensive platform and resource management outcomes, △ways for the operation of a national culture collection unit and joint use, etc. 

As biological resources are recently recognized as a national strategic asset beyond collective goods*, there has been increasing necessity for systematic and comprehensive management of the resources. Also, the importance of cooperation and data sharing between culture collections has been standing out. Against this backdrop, the symposium was held to serve as a catalyst for the cooperation required by playing a pivotal role. 

*Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force in 1993, but ratified in 1995 in ROK; and Nagoya Protocol entered into force 2014, but ratified in 2017 in ROK aimed at ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and related traditional knowledge along with the conservation of biological diversity. 

KoCAM of NIFS, which organized the inter-agency symposium, is a specialized aquatic culture collection that has collected and conserved aquatic pathogens since 2002. Around 7,700 strains have been secured up to the present time, which are being utilized in R&Ds on aquatic disease such as diagnosis kit and aquatic vaccine and treatment.

Going forward, KoCAM will strengthen its support for private research institutes, academic sectors, and industries by expanding the number of strains for distribution.