Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology: International Co-operation between Developed and Developing Countries

Abstract

Today, Biotechnology, or more particularly the applications of Microbiology, can make a contribution to the socio-cultural, economic and technological aspects of development in particularly in the developing countries. Biotechnology is an apt vehicle for development because it can help developing countries use their natural renewable biomass resources to meet many of their requirements in the food, fuel and fertilizer sectors. Of course, development is meaningless without a vibran infrastructure, trained manpower and judicious use of available natural resources. To overcome several bottlenecks, such as the lack of scientific knowledge (which should be earned rather than be bought), the shortage of trained manpower and the unequal distribution of natural resources, that plague particularly developing countries, the design and implementation of the network approach has been described. Regional networks such as that of the Southeast Asian Network in Microbiology, and the UNEP/Unesco- supported Microbiological Resources Centres (MIRCENS) indicate that the developing countries will have to look more and more to themselves in using Microbial Technology for development. Industrialized societies, for instance, do cooperate with developing countries in meeting a priority need by organizing longterm postgraduate courses that provide postgraduate researchers from the developing countries with the necessary knowledge and techniques that can be adapted to local processes. Through such mechanisms like the MIRCENS, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology do play an important role in catalysing regional and international collaboration.