In response to the OECD’s work on Biological Resource Centres and recognizing the importance of the activities of culture collections to support research, development and innovation in biotechnology and life sciences, the Belgian government has decided to allocate a yearly recurrent funding to the BCCM consortium.

This new financing mechanism lays the foundations of the further development of the BCCM consortium as the Belgian Biological Resource Centre. This is instrumental in complying with the Belgian obligations in the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Budapest Treaty, by securing facilitated legitimate access to resources for biotechnology. Furthermore, it allows the BCCM to develop its activities on the basis of a long term strategy and to stabilise the positions of its excellent and highly specialised staff members. It reinforces the BCCM's position as a reliable partner for long-term assignments and projects and is beneficial to all BCCM partners and customers.

The BCCM consortium is happy to start the new year with these favourable perspectives and wishes you all the very best for 2010.